Pokémon Neo Legacy: Star In The Storm
by Erriel
Summary: One generation after Ash, two Pokémon trainers must deal with new rivals, the enigma of a dying trainer, as well as the dark secrets of a newly-revived Team Rocket.
1. Prologue: Coliseum

Star in the Storm, Prologue

Coliseum

* * *

It is evening. The sky has deepened into a dark indigo, ascending heavenward into an impenetrable blue strewn with glimmering stars. Below, far below, lies a shadowed valley. Gnarled trees wind forth from the grassy hillside that border the valley, reaching their ancient branches skyward as the wind rips through their leaves. 

At the center of the secluded valley lies a coliseum, old and weather-worn, lined with many cracks of age. But tonight it is aglow with a blaze of white and blue lights, lights that seem to burst from its enormous dome to dark sky above, releasing their radiance into the heavens. 

Three travelers venture up a broad flight of stairs, light from the coliseum casting shadows onto the ground behind them. Their footsteps echo steadily in the cool night air. One carries a strange object strapped onto a pack, a blue capsule tinted with yellow at the ends. Slowly, the capsule begins to grow, stretching and twisting until a strange-looking creature appears, fully transformed. The other capsules on the other packs begin to transform as well. One, a light blue and green colored pink at its top emerges into a Venusaur. Another capsule, a round yellow and blue, changes into a chubby Squirtle. And the last one of all, a delicate lavender pod with tiny ears sticking out from the sides, enlarges into a young Espeon.

"Just stretching my legs," the Squirtle insists, waving a paw in the air. "That PokéCap wirs pirtty cramped, ya know!" 

The Venusaur snorts. "More likely Ripple doesn't want to miss out on the food," it adds.

The Squirtle grins, stifling a giggle. "Right you irre, Spore," it says. The two exchange high-fives. 

The first Pokémon to emerge, a beady-eyed creature with a round body and tiny flippers floats suspended in the air. "Are vee th…there?" it asks, its Human speech slower and more halting than the others. 

Its trainer nods firmly. "Yes, Chin-Woop," he says. "We're there."

The young Pokémon stares at the Coliseum, framed brilliantly against the darkening sky. Its yellow ears stream out behind it, contrasting sharply with its slippery blue body. Chin-Woop is a hybrid, the first Pokémon to ever be crossbred. Hybrid Pokémon inherit powers from both their parents, and someday, Chin-Woop will posses both the electricity of a Chinchou and the earthshaking abilities of a Wooper. But Chin-Woop is still a child, and has much to learn. 

The last Pokémon, the Espeon, says nothing. She leans closer towards her trainer, a young girl of no more than twelve, and together, they walk into the Coliseum. 

Tables and tables line the inside of the building, long picnic tables filled with people and Pokémon. The girl's eyes meander up and down the seemingly endless rows. There's one lady with long brown hair, playing a conch-shell flute in front of an enraptured audience as she spins captivating stories for her listeners. The little flute girl from Shamouti is now a professional storyteller. 

A man with messy purple hair sits hunched over his laptop, while a woman with the same hair and sharp gray eyes looks ready to slam the cover down on his fingers at any time. These two cousins don't look any different at all, except that Vivian's become an engineer and Shingo's made millions creating one of the best data systems in the world. A loud crunch resounds though the room as the laptop cover goes down. 

Another woman with penetrating, ice-blue eyes turns and looks straight in the girl's direction. Her dark, sweeping hair and authoritative presence force the girl to look away. Saffron's past Gym Leader has retired only years ago, to commit the rest of her life to the Psychokinetic, or PK, Masters, an organization dedicated to the training of young Psychics. Sabrina has been offered membership into the Masters' Circle, the Indigo League's newest version of the Elite Four, but has so far politely declined the offer. 

Just a little ways on is a dark-haired man with a ballpoint in one hand and a notebook in the other. T.S., formerly known as Tracey Kenji Sketchit, is a Pokémon Watcher no more. Instead, he uses his skills of observation as a private investigator. He sells his sketches on the side; most clients are driven away by the insane scratching of his pen. 

And sitting at table at the end of the row is Ash Ketchum, chatting away with his old friend, Misty Waterflower. The girl quickens her pace, hoping that the Mr. Ketchum's loud-mouthed daughter, Roary, isn't close by. Coming to the end of the room, she leans forward to peek through the window. The sky is completely black now, shimmers of stars and moonlit clouds glowing faintly in the engulfing darkness. 

A sudden movement in the corner of her eye startles her. There is a creature outside, a creature struggling to get up. Head held high and ears erect, it springs onto the floor of the Coliseum, shaking its head wearily, before staring the girl straight in the eye.

_"You, girl," _it snaps in rapid Eonic. _"What is your name?"_

The girl blinks before answering. She is a strange-looking girl, to say the least. Her dark brown eyes, ringed with vibrant jade around the irises, glance carefully at the small creature. The girl also has short unruly hair, a hybrid of hazel and dark green, like her eyes. "Trilody Chimera, ma'am," she answers finally. "My mother is Rowan Chimera, and my father is Professor Koreyu. And you must be Kayley, Kayley Mindstar, the one everyone here has come to see."

Kayley nods her head slowly, sadly. _"Tell me, Trilody," _she says suddenly. _"Do you know what it's like to give up everything for a world you love?" _

The girl cannot reply; no matter how hard she strains, her mind is a blank. But Kayley Mindstar does not expect a reply. She stretches wearily and lowers her gaze. _"Once, Trilody,"_ she says softly. _"Once I was twelve years old, too. All these years I've tried to hold on, tried my hardest to not give up." _She raises her head and gazes at the girl almost pleadingly. _"Time has not been kind to me, Trilody Chimera. Sooner or later, I will have to let go." _Kayley takes a step and stumbles, collapsing into a heap on the cold stone floor. 

The room is suddenly quiet, then explodes with noise. The girl can do nothing but stare. She closes her eyes, but she stills sees the same picture over and over again. Kayley's dark, Eevee eyes staring directly into hers. Kayley Mindstar has survived many years, after a freak accident left her in the body of a Pokémon. And Pokémon do not live as long as humans.

* * *

Richard "Chris" Koreyu shakes his head in frustration, his usually laughing eyes dark with worry. Professor K., as he is called now, is a genius, a renowned Pokémon expert surpassing even the reputation of the long-retired Professor Oak. He hasn't felt such helplessness as this in a long time. 

"I can't believe we didn't notice it before," he sighs, shaking his head over and over again. "Kayley is old, so old for Pokémon. All these years, it's amazing she's still hanging on."

Rowan Chimera nods fervently. "Kayley," she says softly. Then louder, "Kayley?"

A dark eye blinks, settling in on Rowan's face. Rowan bends slowly over the Eevee, taking her paw in her hand. 

_"He's right," _Kayley says softly, so softly her voice seems no more than a fading echo. _"I am dying, Rowan. Soon, the world will need a new Keeper."_

Rowan squeezes the Eevee's paw gently. "You can't give up, Kayley. No matter what happens."

Kayley shakes her head. Her eyes close, then open just a crack, as if she is too weary to hold her eyelids up. _"Before I leave, I have but one favor to ask of you."_

"Anything," Rowan replies loyally. "Anything."

Kayley chokes on her next words, and the spasm of coughing that follows rocks the Eevee's body violently. Rowan's breathing comes hard as she clasps Kayley's paw tighter than ever.

_"Find…find the next Keeper."_ Kayley's dark, Eevee eyes slide slowly closed._ "Before it's too late."_

No one says much after that; no one looks up either. And no one sees the girl standing outside the window, staring in at them all. She sneaks one last glance at the three old friends before turning away, her Espeon at her heels. As the two wander into the night, the girl throws back her head, gazing up at the stars that shine forth from the dark sky. But no matter how hard she tries, she cannot forget she has seen. And she will never forget Kayley's eyes; those dark, Eevee staring up into hers.

* * *

**Reviews, comments, etc. are greatly appreciated! This is my first non-short story ever, and constructive criticism would be very, very useful. **

Notes:

Yeah, I brought back a lot of the old characters from the TV show. Some of their roles are believable (Sabrina helps train young Psychics, Ash got to be a Pokémon master), some are a little funny (Melody's a storyteller and Tracey's a detective? Okay, how did that happen?). I believe all of them had the potential for what they are currently doing, and we all know dreams and goals can change over the years. 

Eonic, as mentioned, is basically the language, or as I call Pokémon languages, PokéDialect of Eevee and evolved forms. _"Whenever you see something that is italicized and in quotes like this," _it indicates someone is speaking in a PokéDialect. More about how some humans can understand PokéDialects will be explained in detail later.


	2. Lody: New Rivals

Star in the Storm, Chapter 1

Lody- "New Rivals"

* * *

One week later… 

"You're submitting to peer pressure, Lody. You can't allow yourself be brainwashed by what other kids may say. Just because you don't hang around with those other kids doesn't mean they can exclude you from their group.

I sighed heavily. "Dad, it's not peer pressure, and no one's excluding me. It's none of those things in your Psychology 101 lectures. I just don't like tag; that's it!" I folded my arms, bracing myself for another harebrained lecture. True enough, I wasn't the world's most sociable person, but my own father didn't have to hold it against me. "Besides, I need to find Amulet," I finished peremptorily. If my father thought he could single-handedly improve my meager social life, he was dead wrong.

Dad rolled his eyes. Was I the only kid whose parent still performed juvenile gestures? "Of course you do, but it can't hurt to play one harmless little game of tag with Roary to make you father a happier person, can it?" Without waiting for a reply, he gave me a sharp nudge forward. "Have fun!" he yelled behind his back as he darted away, cackling evilly. 

"Playin', Chimera?" a feminine voice hollered from across the field. I sighed again. Roary Ketchum and her big mouth were unwelcome in any possible aspect, especially in a game that involved mindless idiots running around and trying to knock each other over. 

"Hey, move it, Lody!" Roary yelled, stamping forward, her sharp black eyes flickering in my direction. Roary was what my dad called a "PokéMaster Freak", when Mom wasn't around, of course. Roary had become a Pokémon trainer at the orthodox age of ten, and her sole dream was something along the lines of her motto, "Gotta cream 'em all!" 

"That's okay," I said quietly. "I'll watch."

Roary cocked her head questioningly at me. "You need more than one person to play tag, Chimera," she snorted. Reaching into her pocket and withdrawing a small, round object, she brandished the PokéBall in my direction. "But you only need _two _for a Pokémon battle!"

_Glad you learned how to count, _I thought sarcastically. It was strange, really, how an experienced trainer like Roary Ketchum still insisted on using the old, obsolete PokéBalls after the invention of the PokéCapsule, or PokéCap for short. But I didn't pursue the thought any longer. 

Subtly, I felt around in my pocket. Though I didn't have Amulet, I still stood a decent chance of giving Roary a taste of her own medicine. Pokémon training had been a casual hobby of mine that Mother had been more than glad to coach me about. But then again, I'd never been in a real Pokémon battle before. Not with a trainer as experienced as Roary.

"I think I'll pass," I said firmly. 

Roary scowled, "A real Pokémon master never turns down a challenge!"

I rolled my eyes in perfect imitation of my father. _Who's a Pokémon master? Definitely not me! _

But I paused a moment, anyway. _Winning equals shutting Roary up for the next few hours._ "Okay," I agreed finally. "You're on!"

Roary grinned and pivoted on the ball of her foot, the high ponytail at the top of her head whipping forward. "Three on three, bet'ya can't beat me! Go, Vaporeon!"

_Roary seems to have gained Ms. Waterflower's love for Water types_, I mused as the sleek, aquatic Pokémon sprang onto the nearby pool with a battle cry. Everyone knew Misty Waterflower, one of Roary's numerous role models, trained marine Pokémon for movies _and_ was head specialist at the new aquatic-based exhibit down by PokémonLand. Not that I had ever cared to go.

_Okay then, I'll fight water with water. _Reaching into my own pocket, I emerged with a shiny blue PokéCap. "That's your cue, Cascader!"

Throwing my capsule into the air, I watched breathlessly as my own Pokémon materialized. We had trained hard, and we were good enough to win by a long shot. But would we?

Water sparkled off the shimmering scales on Cascader's side as her long fins beat foam into the air. Slender antennae atop her forehead twitched about alertly, awaiting my command.

Roary could only stare. "Is that a…?"

I broke in before she could find her Pokédex. "That's right. Cascader's a Kingdra, half Water and half Dragon. I raised her from a tiny abandoned Horsea my mom found in the Seafoam Islands."

"You need more than impressive Pokémon to beat a seasoned trainer! You need experience!" Roary countered, though she didn't look nearly as confident anymore. "Okay, Vaporeon! Head it off with an Aurora Beam!"

_Not bad. She knows Ice moves can really do damage to a Dragon type, _I thought. _But then, what would you expect from someone whose been battling two years?_

"Cascader!" I called. "Agility, now!"

The Kingdra obeyed immediately, becoming little more than a shimmer as it zoomed through the water. Needless to say, Vaporeon's Aurora Beam missed by a long shot. 

"Now, Cascader!" I yelled. "Double back with Hyper Beam!"

Cascader's aim was true, as always. I smiled to recall all the days we had trained together when she was just a Horsea, trying to hit Frisbees with jets of ink. The effect was explosive! When I had finally wiped the water from my eyes, I grinned. One down, two to go. 

Roary wrung the water from her ponytail and recalled Vaporeon, looking sulky and extremely wet. "You did a good job, Vaporeon," she whispered to her PokéBall. Straightening, and digging another PokéBall out from her jacket, she lobbed it onto the battlefield. "Try your luck with…Jigglypuff!"

I recalled Cascader. Fast. I had been warned too many times about the dangers of Jigglypuff to take any chances.

"Then _you _can try your luck with…Stratagem!"

An earthshaking roar sounded as my _enormous_ Pokémon emerged. With her armor-like skin and powerful build, Stratagem was a mighty opponent, one of my best Pokémon. Oh, it had taken so long to raise the stubborn Larvitar Mother had adopted in Silver Cave, but it was well worth it.

"Um, that's a…um, a," Roary stammered.

"Tyranitar," I finished for her. "Sahra's her pet name. Isn't she just the cutest little thing you ever saw?"

Sahra growled at Roary's Jigglypuff, an evil sneer twisting her face.

"Jigglypuff, don't let the Tyranitar's size intimidate you!" Roary shouted. "Sing attack! Now!"

I had been prepared for this. "Sandstorm, Sahra! Now!"

A blinding whirl of stinging sand flared up as Jigglypuff began its song. It choked as the dust scraped its throat raw. 

"Finish it off with Earthquake!" I commanded. The ground tore asunder, throwing Roary's Pokémon skidding to the side. Bruised badly, the Jigglypuff struggled to its feet, inflating its body angrily. 

This was all too easy. But then, I had never had the patience for the restrained, complicated battles Mother excelled at. I like things fast. Fast and crushing.

I nodded once, to myself. Jigglypuff was as good as beaten. Once I did so, the match would be mine.

"I'm elated that you two ladies are enjoying one another's company," my father's voice came from the side. "But I've abducted another innocent bystander for you two to persecute!" He gestured towards the jacket-clad boy just coming up behind him, led by an energetic Umbreon. 

Roary went suddenly silent, a first. I sighed as the battle was broken off and both Roary and I recalled our Pokémon. Clearly, we would have to finish this match some other day. 

The boy smiled behind his pair of black sunglasses. "I'm Shane, one of Prof. Koreyu's students," he said. 

Instantly, my mind snapped to attention. Dad's a teacher, and a popular one at that. All that Pokémon research he's so famous for is really (or so he claims) just "an unusual hobby designed to occupy oneself in times of leisure". Strangely enough, he'd rather spend time cracking jokes, dodging spitballs, and just plain "torturing" his innocent students. Why any one of them would even consider coming to his house is beyond me.

My father nodded in response to the boy's statement. "Shane's going to be with us for a few days, working with me in the lab. Go easy on him, okay?" He winked. 

Quickly, I scanned the boy up and down, ignoring the Umbreon's curious red stare. Shane Rising was about my age, twelve or so, with blond hair so light it seemed almost silver. His skin was even paler and drawn tightly across his face, as if he'd never seen the sun before in his life. 

Beside me, Roary blinked absentmindedly at my father's request and I snapped back to attention. "Of course," Roary agreed fervently. 

Shane smiled at her, which just seemed to make her even more stupefied. 

"I'm Roary Ketchum," she giggled. "Who're you?"

I dug my elbow into her shoulder. 

"Ow! Lody!"

Dad grinned. "You'd better watch out for my daughter," he told Shane. "She's a real sadist if the opportunity arises. And believe me, it rises with the sun." 

Shane laughed, Roary along with him. "Of course," he said. 

I glared at Roary. "In case you don't remember, we have a match to finish!"

She ignored me. "How old are you, Shane?" she asked.

I'll give the kid some credit; he raised an eyebrow half-questioningly behind his sunglasses. "Uh, twelve," he said finally.

"Me two!" she gasped. "Isn't that just _so_ cool?"

I rolled my eyes and folded my arms pointedly.

She ignored me again. "I'll bet you're a Pokémon trainer, right Shane? Have you been to the League before? I have, twice. Unlike some people."

My father shrugged, speaking for me. "Lody's decided to wait a little before going full force with training, or anything like that. She needs to finish up her homeschooling, for one."

Father had decided that, not me.

Shane smiled at me. "I think education's pretty important, too," he said sincerely. "I'll be finishing up college this year, and maybe start something new next year."

Roary's eyes went wide. "Whoa, you must be some kind of genius or something!" she gushed. 

I resisted the urge to kick her. Since when did _Roary _approve of education?

To my surprise, my father nodded and put an arm around Shane's shoulder. "That's Shane, alright," he agreed. "Best student I've had in years. I'm sure he'll fit in just fine here; Shane's a talented battler, you know, Roary. I'm sure he could even teach you a thing or two."

Roary giggled. They'd hit it off, without a doubt. I turned away.

"You could take some pointers from Shane, too, Lody. Lody?"

"See you all later!" I called over my shoulder, starting back. "I need to find my Espeon!" 

Shane's voice called after me. "Hey, I think there was an Espeon by the gate! Gauntal stopped for a chat, and I had a hard time pulling him away." He patted the Umbreon teasingly on the head.

I ran down the hill, not looking back. The PokéCap in my hand felt smooth and comforting. I'd settle the score with Roary soon enough. As soon as her brain returned from lunch break.

* * *

To my great frustration, Roary was gone by the time I returned with my Espeon. Father had disappeared as well, and I was still stinging with their slights. Shane and his Umbreon, however, were still there. 

"Hi again, Trilody," Shane called as I approached. "Gauntal wants to know your Espeon's name. Whoa, slow down, boy!" he yelled as the Umbreon dragged him forward by the leash.

I eyed him coolly. "Her name's Amulet," I replied. "And I'm called Lody."

"Lody, sorry," Shane corrected himself. "Gauntal, down! Down! Whoa!" I watched almost too amusedly as the Umbreon proceeded to drag its trainer another several feet. Beside me, Amulet wrinkled her nose and hid behind my legs. 

"I'm really sorry about this," Shane said sincerely. "Gauntal really has a mind of its own. Down, boy! I said down!" He managed to calm down his Umbreon enough to look up and smile at me. "The Professor says you're a pretty good battler, Lody."

"I'm just a rookie," I protested uncomfortably to his unexpected praise. "It's not as if I actually have badges or anything like that."

Shane shrugged. "What do badges mean? Just that you've beaten certain trainers and not others. Collecting badges is fun enough, but people go on Pokémon journeys for many reasons other than that." 

"You sound like you've had experience." 

He shrugged again. "Some might say that. I never was an orthodox trainer like your friend Roary, though I didn't tell her that. Like I said, there're many reasons to go on a Pokémon journey. You just have to find the right one. I know I did. Maybe you will someday, too."

I stared at Shane incredulously, at the silvery-light hair sweeping over his forehead like a halo and the angelic smile upon his pale face. 

Suddenly, my vision turned green, and I saw the hair as too silver and smile as too smug. College-bound and a Pokémon master-to-be, that was Shane alright. Twelve year-old boy wonder. Roary and Father thought so already, the whole world probably did. His unspoken words hung suspended in the air between us: _Maybe someday you'll be as good as me, Lody Chimera._

"I don't know where you get off telling me what to do," I heard myself saying coldly. "Just leave me alone, won't you?"

Shane didn't move, didn't say anything.

"Lody,"Amulet chastised, batting a paw in my direction.

I hated myself at that moment, as I broke away and ran.

* * *

** Reviews, comments, etc. are greatly appreciated! This is my first non-short story ever, and constructive criticism would be very, very useful. **

Notes:

Okay, first of all, why does Lody Chimera have all these ultra-rare and super-powerful Pokémon (Kingdra, Tyranitar, Arcanine) if she _hasn't even started her Pokémon journey yet? _Well,considering that I once raised my Charmander to a Charmeleon before even leaving Pallet Town, I'd have to say it's possible. Lody, after all, wants to be the very best, and will go to any length to achieve this goal. It makes her kind of paranoid most of the time, and she starts seeing most everyone around her as a potential rival and an impending threat. Could this be part of the reason she doesn't have any friends besides her Pokémon? Hmm, I wonder... 


	3. Roary: The Ketchum Legacy Lives On

Star in the Storm, Chapter 2

Roary- "The Ketchum Legacy Lives On"

* * *

I've really got to hang out at Oak's Lab more often.

Well, technically, it's the Koreyu Lab, or just the Pallet Lab now. Ever since Professor Oak retired, Lody's dad has taken over the Lab. He and Rowan Chimera have kind-of turned the place into this huge Pokémon sanctuary. Not that I have anything against that. Prof. K.'s the one who gave me my Pokémon license and stuff two years ago; he's taken over that job ever since Oak left.

Stuck-up Lody. Thinks she's so great because her dad's some genius and her mom brings home all these rare Pokémon for her. _I've_ had to work for my Pokémon. You don't see _my _dad pampering me with all these privileges. 

Oh, well anyway, hi, my name's Roary Ketchum. What d'ya say?

Like I care what Lody's told you about me! Like I've said, Lody is stuck-up and arrogant.

What's that? You're saying those are the same things? 

Okay, let's try this again. Hi, I'm Roary. I wanna be the world's greatest Pokémon master! Original, I know. But you'd better not dis Pokémon masters; my dad was one (even though nobody today actually remembers him and he's currently running a souvenir stand outside Indigo Plateau), and he says Rowan Chimera (that's Lody's mom) was one, too, no matter how righteous Lody acts about her _education. _As if anyone besides her actually cares.

Me, I only care about two things. Pokémon and…well, I'm not gonna tell you everything, you know!

Lots have changed since my dad was a Pokémon trainer. In those days, he says, practically everybody wanted to be a Pokémon master. Even Pallet Town, Dad's old hometown and my current one, sent out loads of master-wannabes _ every year_. When I became a trainer two years ago, I was the only Pallet kid to do so. Now, you see all other kinds of wannabes cropping up. Potential Pokémon researchers, Pokémon Watchers, Pokémon breeders, plus a whole new line of jobs, like Pokémon interpreters, which is what Lody's mom does, that they didn't have back when my parents were kids. 

Not everybody wants to do something with Pokémon anymore, either. I know plenty of kids who wanna be actors, writers, astronauts, baseball players, blah, blah, and blah. Back when my parents were kids, things were different. Everybody who was anybody trained Pokémon to some extent. Not so nowadays. 

Though I may have fit in fine some thirty years ago, I'm now the odd kid out. I've met almost no one who shares my goal of serious Pokémon masterdom. Though most people refuse to admit it, the Pokémon phenomenon is dying out. 

Yikes! Okay, I just wasted the entire first page of my chapter! Sorry, I'm usually not so meditative. My mind's been going in circles lately, ever since that new kid arrived. 

I wasn't spying on anyone when I entered the Lab, honestly. Lody was already there, standing right outside the door, and listening intently to the conversation on the other side. 

"What are you doing?" I asked her in surprise, nearly tripping over a stray Vulpix that had wandered into the room. Like I said, Rowan Chimera, Lody's mom, pretty much turned the place into this huge shelter for the abandoned Pokémon she picks up on her travels. She's a Pokémon interpreter, which, in Dad's time, had been practically unheard of! (Well, there was that one incident about these guys who pretended to understand Pokémon and starting conning people…then there was this one guy who insisted he could actually do it, and the whole thing got really messy.)

It's not supposed to be easy, but Pokémon interpreters take it upon themselves to learn different PokéDialects, like you or I might learn French or Japanese in addition to English. Rumor has it that Lody's mom was raised by Pokémon herself, and after becoming fluent in several PokéDialects, paved the way for the field of Pokémon Interpreting. I, for one, don't take these things seriously. I mean, being raised by Pokémon? Gimme a break! Though that would explain why Lody has the social skills of a Slowpoke…

Rowan gets to travel all over the world, meeting new Pokémon and a variety of trainers (in addition to picking up prize Pokémon for her little brat Lody, who so does _not _deserve them). She's probably the only trainer in the world who's taught all her Pokémon how to speak Human/English, and you can't go into her place without running into at least twenty different kinds of Pokémon. 

Well, anyways, Lody just stared at me. Lody has these really piercing-type eyes, perfect for making other people feel uncomfortable. I tried my best not to flinch away.

"I live here," she replied coolly. "What are _ you _doing?"

My skin got all clammy-like. Lody's also got this really eerie habit of throwing your own words back at you, along with a spookily accurate imitation of the person she's mimicking. She flicked her head back as she spoke, the same way I did with my ponytail. 

"Just running an errand," I defended myself. "I've got an important package to deliver to your father." I brandished the box so she could tell I wasn't fibbing, and a mischievous Crobat hovering by the door almost snatched it away.

Lody didn't look impressed. "I'll take it then," she said. "My father is busy."

"Hold on!" I cried, pulling the box away as she reached for it. "I've also got a message for Prof. Koreyu. An _oral _ message."

Those piercing eyes were on me again. I shifted uncomfortably in place as Lody inspected me suspiciously. "If you're waiting for that Shane boy," she said finally, "he already went home." 

"Your dad said he was staying," I countered smugly. "Really Lody, why are you trying to lie to me?"

At that moment, the door I had the unfortunate chance of leaning on opened abruptly. I fell back first onto cold tile, Prof. Koreyu looking down at me in amusement. 

"Well then, I think we caught you two red-handed," he chuckled, reaching down to help me up. "I seriously hope we won't have to turn you in."

"Wh…What?" I stammered. The caw of a nearby Murkrow broke the silence for me. Flapping its bandaged wing in my direction, the Pokémon, who was perched on the roof rafter above, cackled merrily at my red face. 

The Professor turned backwards and winked at Shane, who had emerged right behind him. "But then what can we do with these two insidious spies on our hands?" he posed in mock-accusation. 

I couldn't help myself. I broke into hysterical laughter, with Lody standing sullen-faced right behind me. Prof. K. is seriously not your typical Pokémon researcher. If you're thinking white lab coat and owl-eye glasses, you'd only be half right. Prof. K.'s got the glasses, but you'd be more likely to see him in a black T-shirt and jeans. He's always kidding around and laughing, so you'd think Lody would be less of a spoilsport than she is. Most everything about Lody, including her hair, defies the laws of nature. 

"That wasn't funny, Dad," she glowered, arms folded. "Roary has an important message to deliver. As well as this." She picked up the package where it'd fallen and handed into to her father. 

Prof. Koreyu rolled his eyes and took the parcel from his daughter. "She's just like her mother," he sighed to Shane. "No sense of humor."

Eyes narrowing even more, Lody turned her glower on Shane. I'm no psychologist, but Lody seriously has something against him. Probably can't stand somebody's who's smarter than her.

"Roary's also got an _oral _message for you," she stated, flicking her head back again, as if she were the one with the ponytail instead of the other way around. 

I barely restrained myself from sticking out my tongue at her. Really, Lody can be such a sourpuss at times. Clearing my throat, I began, "Well, um, this is from the same person who gave me the package. I can't really remember her name…Serena or something like that. She was looking really worried and told me, 'She can't give up. Determination is her only weapon at this point, and we can't let her lose it now.' Um, well, I'm not really sure what she meant by that, but it sounded important, so I just thought you might, uh, like to know." 

Prof. Koreyu nodded slowly, the smile gone from his face. "Thank you, Roary," he said. "You're right; I think that's very important." As he turned to go back into the room, though, the package slipped from his fingers and fell onto the floor.

"I'll get it," Shane offered, bending over and picking it back up. As he bent over, his green jacket swung open. Quickly, he pulled it shut, but not quick enough. Shane had been wearing a black shirt, with a capital R emblazoned on in red. 

"Cool," I said. "Does your last name start with 'R' or something?"

Shane flushed. "Yeah, how'd you guess?" he laughed, handing the package back to the Prof. 

"What is it?" I asked eagerly.

Lody jabbed me in the leg with a swift kick. 

"Lody! What is your problem?"

"Sorry," she said nonchalantly, but did not offer an explanation.

"Really," Prof K. broke in, putting a hand on Shane's shoulder. "It's Rising. Shane Rising."

Lody's mouth kind of tightened, and her eyes got all narrowed. 

"Wow!" I said. "Just like Clair Rising, the _Gym Leader_?"

Lody kicked me again. 

"Hey! Are you trying to give me another bruise, or what?"

Prof. Koreyu snickered. "She got that great kick from her mother, too," he whispered. "They could really make it big if they wanted to start their own soccer team."

Lody rolled her eyes, in perfect imitation of her father. "So, can we finish the match _now?_" she demanded of me. "As you say, 'A real Pokémon master never turns down a challenge!'"

"I'd like to know the conclusion of _that_ battle," Shane said earnestly. "I've been through a few battles myself, and yours seemed particularly intense. What Pokémon do you plan to use, Lody?"

Lody looked me straight in the eye. "You'll see. If _Roary's_ in the mood."

"Of course I am!" I snapped, reaching into my pocket. "If _Lody's_ not chicken."

"Could we please move the battlefield _outside_, ladies?" Prof. Koreyu interrupted. "Thanks; the insurance I have on this building isn't so great."

"Since I've chosen my Pokémon second two times already, I'll let you choose second this time," Lody said as we headed outside. Cupping both hands around her mouth, she let out a loud, barking cry that echoed throughout the open sky. 

Within minutes, an answering cry broke through the air. A sleek, elfin figure was headed our way, long ears twitching warily in the breeze.

Lody ran up to stand by her Pokémon. "This is Amulet," she said, stroking the creature's shiny coat. "She's an Espeon, and my first Pokémon ever. Go ahead, choose your Pokémon."

I glanced behind me. Shane was sitting on the doorstep of the Lab, watching the battle intently. I couldn't lose to Lody, especially now!

"Well, then you can have your face-off with _my _first Pokémon," I called. "Go…Picassy!"

Lody's eyes narrowed as her diminutive competitor emerged. 

"Pi! Pii!" my Pichu called, waving its tiny arms about in excitement. It scrambled forward towards Amulet, grinning happily.

"Okay, Picassy!" I yelled. "Charm attack, now!" 

Picassy put on its cutest face and hugged Amulet's leg in the most adorable manner. The Espeon could only stare, and turned to her trainer for help. 

"Now, Sweet Kiss!" I shouted.

A series of hearts flew from Picassy's paw as it hugged Amulet around the neck, giggling happily. The Espeon froze, as if mesmerized.

"Thunder!" I commanded instantly.

Twin bolts of electricity flew from the Pichu's cheeks, gathering into a gigantic ball of energy and slamming straight into Amulet. The Espeon was knocked brutally to the side, and skid several yards through the grass before coming to a stop.

"Amulet!" Lody cried, running forward.

"Cripple your opponent with Thunder Wave!" I yelled to my Pokémon. "Once she can't fight, they're out of the running!"

Static flared along Picassy's fur as it took aim for the Espeon. Amulet flinched as the electricity scorched her fur.

"Amulet!" It was Lody again. Cupping her hands around her mouth, Lody began to bark in the same manner as she had before. The Espeon's ears twitched in the air.

"Thunder again, Cass!" I called out to my Pokémon.

"Pi!" it yipped, clenching its paws as it braced itself for the final blow. 

Lody let out another bark. Amulet's ears twitched.

In a flash, the Espeon was on her feet. The Thunder attack missed her streaking form completely as she sped back. At another bark from her trainer, Amulet spread her paws out before her. The sum above set her fur into a shimmering glow. Even the air seemed to hum in anticipation.

"What's going on?" I yelped as a bright purple aura sprang up around the Pokémon. 

Shane's voice rang out as I fumbled for my Pokédex. "That's Amulet's Morning Sun, a healing move! It's the Espeon's most advanced attack of them all!"

"Picassy!" I cried. "Thunder Wave!"

Too late! Amulet leapt back like a liquid spring, fully rejuvenated, as the attack came her way. 

Lody's face was a mask of intense concentration as she barked out the next command. At the sound of her voice, Amulet's eyes began to glow. A violet aura flared up around a startled Picassy, growing brighter and brighter as the light in Amulet's eyes did the same. 

"Watch out for Espeon's Psychic!" Shane cried. _ "That's the most powerful psychic attack!" _

Like I didn't already know. I ground my teeth in frustration as Picassy's body rose to hang suspended in the air. My Pokémon's little face was frozen in a contorted expression of terror and surprise; the Psychic attack made it unable to move even a muscle!

Lody emitted another bark, and Amulet's ears flitted in her direction. Lody was shaking her head, shaking her head and mouthing "No".

The Espeon stared at the Pichu's helpless figure for a moment, possibly the most intense moment in my entire life. Finally, the violet glow around Picassy faded, faded as Pichu descended gently towards the ground. Amulet ran towards her trainer, who hugged the Espeon soothingly.

I stepped out onto the field and recalled Picassy. The battle was over.

* * *

** Reviews, comments, etc. are greatly appreciated! This is my first non-short story ever, and constructive criticism would be very, very useful. **

Notes:

The incident involving the Pokémon interpreting conmen Roary talks briefly about is from the TV episode "The Poké Spokesmon." Great episode; contradicted everything I'd written about Pokémon interpreting before. I spent half-an-hour screaming when I saw this episode, but that's just me.

Thanks to the people who took the time to review my story (Theo 'Blitz' Leung). I read Book 1 of the Chimera Saga; it was so good! Almost eerie though; I was writing about something with Human-Pokémon fusing, too, but not nearly as well-done...(ominous music plays) 


	4. Lody: Riddles in the Night

Star in the Storm, Chapter 3

Lody- "Riddles in the Night"

* * *

Amulet's soft breezing beside me provided a constant rhythm to the murmur of the night air. As I lay in bed, I tried to sort out all the hurried events of the last few days. 

So much time had been spent preparing for the special day one week ago. Mother had told me many times of Kayley Mindstar, the spirited Pokémon trainer she and Dad had befriended as children. Kayley had made a sacred promise, a promise for which she had ultimately exchanged her fate. When a freak accident had left her in the body of an Eevee, her life was changed forever.

My parent and all the others who had aided Kayley's mission were the only source of strength Kayley had had left. But something horribly unexpected had happened at that last meeting at the Coliseum, something none of the grownups would reveal to us. 

I twisted around to lie on my stomach. Then there was that boy Father had brought home. Shane, he said his name was; Shane, with the strange last name of Rising. Peculiar as it might be, I would accept that for now, though every instinct I possessed protested. 

_ Shane, the teacher's pet_, I thought angrily. Father had so many students, of which I had been only one. It was stupid of me to think I was the best of them, though I had done so for many years. _Shane Rising's been here for barely a week, and already Father spends more time with him than he ever has with me and Amulet. Shane, the boy genius and Pokémon expert; twelve years old and already headed for college. _

I punched a pillow beside me. _Nothing I've ever done compares with Shane, does it? Does it matter I almost beat up a seasoned trainer today? Shane's probably beaten hordes of them. He's probably started his Pokémon journey long ago, when I've never had a chance to go. Does my father even think I'm good enough to do anything anymore? _

I had run back towards the laboratory after checking the morning mail. Scores from the Kanto Region Exams had just come through, and after opening the envelope, I couldn't wait to show my father.

"Dad!" I yelled, racing up the steps to the laboratory. "Dad, guess what!"

My father appeared in the doorway, and I almost crashed into him. "Whoa, slow down, little Lody!" he cried. "You're rather energetic today."

I held the envelope in his face and let loose a rare smile. "Dad, I'm in 99th percentile! For all of Kanto!"

"That's nice, Lody," he replied. "Who was in the 100th percentile?"

"Dad!"

At that moment, Shane came up behind my father. "Professor Koreyu?" he said urgently.

"Oh, yes, Shane. Lody, would you excuse us?" Turning away, he closed the door, leaving me standing there with the envelope in my hand.

Running around the building and peering through the window, I saw Shane and my father standing in the hall. The boy was showing Father something on his shirt, that was all I had time to see before they went into a room and shut the door. 

Something suspicious was going on, that I knew for sure. Sneaking back in through the door, I had strained to hear their conversation. All I had time to hear before Roary had come barging in, were the words "Kayley Mindstar" and "running out of time." 

I turned around to lie on my back again. Roary was always sticking her nose where it didn't belong. I grinned to think that at least we had in common. I had often regarded Roary as my complete opposite. 

"But Roary _is_ a clever strategist," Amulet pointed out. "Judging from the way that match turned out today."

I stroked her head affectionately. "Hey, if you had beaten the Pichu up, I would have felt more like a loser than I do now. We don't pick fights with the innocent."

Now, in the quiet of midnight, those words felt fraudulent and futile. I twisted around and buried my face in my pillow. One of my first battles ever…lost, because I was too sanctimonious to hurt a baby Pokémon. Roary had pinpointed my weakness and used it to her full advantage, and she'd be sure not to forget it anytime soon. If I ever faced her in the Pokémon League, it would mean total elimination. 

Sitting up in bed, I thought angrily, _It may have been the "right" thing to do, but where does doing the right thing ever get you in life? No one plays by the rules; not anymore._

I shook my head to rid it of these thoughts. What was Shane Rising or one trivial Pokémon battle compared to the shadowed mystery of Kayley Mindstar? I had met Mindstar only moments before she disappeared, moments before the adults had covered the whole affair in an unexplained secrecy. 

They, Mindstar's old friends, didn't want us to know the truth. 

But they weren't her only friends.

Compelled by a strong curiosity to discover exactly what was being so carefully concealed from us, I crept out of bed and started down the stairs, going very slowly as to not make the tiniest sound. As I neared the kitchen, a faint crunching sound neared my ears. Opening the door, I was greeted by a startled shout and a shower of potato chips.

"Whirt in the worlt irre you doing here irt this time of nirght, young lady?" 

I put up a hand in confusion. As I had expected, Ripple was up late once again, raiding the larder. As with all our Pokémon, Mother taught Ripple how to speak Human, and this Squirtle did so with a strong Chelonian (the PokéDialect shared by Squirtle and their evolved forms) accent that I sometimes had trouble understanding. 

"Sorry to disturb you, Ripple," I said politely. "I just remembered something I'd like to ask you."

The Squirtle shrugged. "Firre irway," it replied, stuffing another handful of potato chips into its mouth.

I frowned. "I thought Dad had you on a diet, again."

"Your Mother took me off it," Ripple grinned, mouth stuffed full with food. 

I shrugged and smiled. Ripple, I had decided earlier, would be the ideal individual to ask about Kayley. As a Pokémon belonging to my father as a child, Ripple had probably seen Kayley Mindstar many, many times."Do you remember a trainer called Kayley Mindstar from when Dad was a kid about my age?" I asked now.

"Sure," Ripple answered, chewing busily. "Who coult forget Kiryley? Real feisty trainer, thirt Kiryley. Remirnds me of your frient, Roirry." 

My head filled with a multitude of questions, questions that rushed out my mouth so fast that the words tumbled over one another and tangled together. "What kind of Pokémon did she train? How long did she travel with my parents? What was the sacrifice she made all those years back…?"

Ripple held up a paw. "Slow down, Mirss Lody. Birck then, I wirs just your daddy's Pokémon, irnd I didn't know her irs well irs thirt. If you wirnt the full story on Kiryley Mintstirr, yir shoult rirlly tirlk to Chirrm." 

"I should talk to Chirrm? You mean that Charmander who used to live here when I was little? Wait, wasn't their name Charm, though?"

"Thirt's whirt I sirt. Chirrm."

"Right. Where can I find Charm, now?"

Ripple scratched its head musingly. "Chirrm went off to live with its pal, Stray, irt Chiricific Virlley ir few yers birck. I'm not so sure whir thirt is, irnymore. They tirke special care to concirl the Virlley from pirchers, yir see. Lirgest Chirizard hirven in the entire worlt, yir know." 

I snatched a potato chip from Ripple's bag when it wasn't looking and munched in thought. "Does anyone know where Charicific Valley is, then? Surely someone must?"

Ripple shrugged again, pausing its chewing momentarily as it thought. "Pikir mirght," it replied finally.

"Pikir? Oh, Pika."

"I sirt Pikir!" Ripple said in annoyance. "Why do yir keep on repirtin' whirt I sir?"

"Sorry, Ripple," I said. "You mean Mr. Ketchum's Pikachu when you say 'Pika', right?"

"Thirt's the one," Ripple answered, satisfied. "Pikir irnd Chirrm're thick irs thieves, them two. Pikir wirs irwful hirtbroken when Chirrm left."

"So, if I want to find out more about Kayley, I have to find Charm?" I sighed. "Great, that seems a really inefficient way of doing it."

Ripple eyed me curiously. "If yir wirnt, I coult irsk yir pirrents…"

"No," I interrupted curtly. "I really don't think that will be necessary."

As I passed the laboratory on my way back upstairs, a frantic typing reached my ears. The door was closed, but a faint crack of light shone out from under. Who was staying up this late? Was it my father, for some reason unbeknownst to me? 

I was almost to the foot of the stairs when a muttering voice drifted towards me. It was definitely not my father's. Backtracking towards the door, I edged it slightly open and peered inside.

Shane was crouched nervously over a keyboard, fingers flying across the panel in a blurred frenzy. I squinted at his screen suspiciously; surely this wasn't Father's idea of a homework assignment?

"Is that right, Gauntal?" he whispered to his Umbreon, who was poised on the chair beside him. "It's just like the keyboard at school, so I couldn't have had too much difficulty."

"E'on!" Gauntal yipped back. From what little Mother had taught me of Eonic (PokéDialect of Eevee and evolved forms), I could translate this loosely as "Let's do it!"

Sighing, Shane straightened, hitting Enter. The screen filled with a strange diagram, and lines and lines of small type. As Shane scrolled downward, I leaned in to get a closer look.

"Lody?"

I jumped. Shane hastily hit X-ed out of the window. Yawning loudly, he stretched his arms out wide. "I didn't know you'd still be up," he said casually.

"The surprise is mutual," I replied coldly, folding my arms. Shane shrugged but remained seated, still yawning. 

"Aren't you going to bed now?" I asked finally.

He shrugged. "Aren't you?"

I unfolded my arms and eyed him one last time before exiting the room. He didn't want me to see what he was doing, that much was clear. As I started up the stairs, the sound of furious typing resumed, echoing strangely in the silence of the night.

* * *

Amulet was waiting for me when I got back upstairs. Ears twitching, she watched silently as I took a seat by my bedroom window and fixed my gaze on the night sky.

"The stars aren't nearly as bright here," she said dreamily, jumping up to join me. "If you want to see the stars in their full glory, there's no better place to view them than at the Coliseum. Remember the Coliseum, Lody? Where your parents and all the other adults went to visit Kayley. It used to be a battle stadium in ancient times, but was later abandoned in favor of the more modern buildings. A pity –just imagine what it would be like to battle in a Coliseum like that!"

"We might someday," I said quietly, not tearing my gaze away from the window. "If I become a Pokémon master."

Amulet's dark eyes glinted as she looked up at me. "For some people, that would be enough," she said quietly. "But for you, Lody, is it?" 

I opened my mouth to reply, but found I had no words which to use. There were so many things I'd thought I wanted to be, but in reality, there was only one.

Like an age-old mantra, bits and pieces of certain phrases cavorted through my head, taunting me.

_I want to be the very best, like no one ever was._

It was stupid of me, of course, stupid and naïve. I was never born a winner, or had a destiny to be the very best. Shane Rising had proven that to me painfully enough. 

But in some twisted way, I actually thanked him. Without Shane, I could have lived my life without any notion of true greatness, wrapped in false illusions of my own petty glories. What was a some perfect test paper, a Pokémon battle here and there, or a trophy from the Pokémon League? To some people, like Roary, it was the whole world. To myself, it was just another vision of glory I was tired of and frustrated with.

So long had I been searching for a purpose, a chance to do something grand and important. Something that would make everyone, including myself, proud of who I was. 

But what could I do, then, to make my mark? Of course I still yearned to, as foolish as it was. An idea had already begun to form in my mind.

Kayley Mindstar was the key. If I could unravel the secret of Kayley's sacrifice and the meaning of her strange request, that would definitely be worth something.

I had to start somewhere. And I would make sure to, tomorrow anyway.

* * *

"Who are you looking for?" Roary demanded again, leaning across the doorframe of the Ketchum residence. I couldn't help but notice the way her ponytail flicked back forth as she talked, looking like an extremely angry black snake as it caught the light.

I ground my teeth softly and replied, with as much patience as I could muster, "Pika, please. I'm looking for Pika."

"Pi?" Picassy squeaked, peeking out from behind Roary's leg. It waved, giggling happily, at Amulet, who hid behind my foot embarrassedly. The little pigtail on the top of its head bounced up and down as Picassy toddled forward.

"Pika who?" Roary asked, raising her eyebrows and grabbing Picassy from the ground. It batted its paws at her playfully. 

"Pika, just plain Pika!"

"What about me?"

I turned around, almost tripping over Amulet. Looking up at me questioningly was a bright-eyed Pikachu watering a line of tulips at the base of the house, along with a disgruntled Meganium holding a bag of fertilizer in its mouth. 

The Pikachu put its watering can down and grinned at me. "Hey, I know you! You're the new Professor's kid, aren't you?"

I gaped. "You can talk? Human language?" I tacked the last part on rather hastily. Some Pokémon would get very offended if you didn't consider their specialized languages, aka PokéDialects, as "talking."

The Pikachu's grin widened. "Rowan, your mom, taught me, remember?" It brushed off its paws and cocked its head. "I'm Pika, alright; what's your name?"

"Lody." We shook paw-to-hand.

"Listen," I started. "I need to send a message to a place called Charicific Valley, and I was told you might be able to help me."

Pika's brow furrowed. "Charicific Valley? Whatever for?"

I bent down to whisper, praying that Roary wouldn't overhear. "I need to find this Charmander, Charm's the name. But, you remember Charm, right?"

"Charm?" There was a muffled crash as the bag of fertilizer dropped from the Meganium's mouth, sending a huge blue cloud drifting into the air. "You're going to see Charm?" the Meganium repeated, stepping forward eagerly as I coughed, eyes watering.

Pika fanned away a puff of fertilizer, trying to clear its throat. "That's Bryar," it choked out. "Its crush on Charm is long-standing."

"I do not have a crush on Charm!" the Meganium snapped.

"Do too!" Pika retorted. "Ever since you figured out Ash wasn't available."

"I do not!" Bryar.

"Do too!" Pika. 

"Do not!" Bryar again.

"Do not!" Pika shouted.

"Do too!" Bryar yelled, flushing red as it realized the words that had slipped from its mouth. "I'll get you for this, Pikapal!" it snapped, vine whips flailing.

Pika folded its arms smugly. "Sure, Lody; I can send for Charm and get 'em over here faster than you can recite all 351 of the Pokémon! Just a second; we're supposed to be tending the garden."

As I straightened, I noticed Roary eyeing me suspiciously. "Just what are you up to, Chimera?" she demanded. "Do your parents…?"

"Pichu! Ooo!" Picassy cried suddenly, running forward. I looked down to see Amulet trying unsuccessfully to bat away the tiny Pichu.

"Careful, Amulet!" I called. "We wouldn't want to step on the little one, now would we?"

Pika turned its head back to me with a grin. "That 'little one' is my niece, by the way. No one messes with Picassy!"

"Pi! Pi!" Picassy giggled distractingly, jumping up and pulling Pika by the ear. 

"Whoa! Watch it, Cass!" Pika cried, slipping wildly. Its watering can went flying into the air, hitting Amulet in the side and spraying both me and Roary thoroughly. Roary sputtered indignantly, her wet ponytail swishing violently from side to side. It whipped me painfully in the face as I stood up. 

"Hey, Lody!" someone was calling frantically. 

I watched calmly as Shane came rushing forward, half-dragged by his Umbreon. He bent over for a brief breath before facing me. "What were you doing downstairs last night?" he demanded, arms folded. 

"I was talking to Ripple," I replied sharply. "Not against the law, is it?" 

Shane scowled, mouth tightening. "After that?" he asked, pacing back and forth across the Ketchum's lawn as Gauntal eyed me suspiciously.

I shrugged. "Why are you so interested, anyway?"

The boy put a hand against his forehead, as it my obstinacy was too much to bear. "I'm not especially so," he said finally, removing his hand and looking back up at me. "But your father is." 

_ My father?_

"It's a question of trust, Lody. Ripple was saying you were planning to go to Charicific Valley, and that you didn't want your father to know."

I stared at Shane furiously, not able to believe what I was hearing. Of course; I should have realized anyone could bribe Ripple to talk simply by holding a milk chocolate bar over its head, but of all the people Ripple could've told, why did it have to tell Shane?

"Lody, you don't realize how dangerous that would be," Shane said, truly sounding concerned. "You don't have enough experience to make it out there on your own. Now, you and Amulet had better come back to the Lab with me and explain everything you were talking to Ripple about last night. And I mean everything, Lody."

With every word that came forth from Shane's mouth, I felt my face grow redder and my fists clench tighter. I hadn't actually been planning to go to Charicific Valley myself, but Shane's accusing, yet condescending words were more than enough to send me over the edge. "I am not a complete novice!" I argued heatedly. "And what I do is no business of yours!"

"Lody, I'm sorry." Shane's voice was gentle, almost patronizing. "I didn't mean to say you were a bad trainer. You're just not ready to go so far from home as Charicific Valley. I'm just trying to look out for you; your parents would want that, I'm sure." 

_What do you know of my parents? What do you know of my ability as a trainer?_ _I and I alone will decide whether I am ready or not! _I wanted to scream. Instead, I kept my lips pinched tight and glared at Shane with all the undiluted venom I could muster. People often became uncomfortable when I glared at them; they would turn away, drop the subject, and cease to bother me again. Not so with Shane Rising.

Shane knew perfectly well he had hit a vein of mine. Even Gauntal's bright red gaze seemed to flicker and avert itself from my face. But instead of abandoning the matter, Shane pursued it readily. "Think about your parents, Lody." he continued in that same concerned voice. "They'd be so worried if you just left. Ripple and I haven't told the Professor about your conversation last night, but it's really our responsibility to do so, if you don't tell me what you were trying to do. I'd hate to do that, Lody, knowing how strained the relationship between you and your parents is."

"What?" I spat disbelievingly.

"You've never wondered why your parents kept you back from your Pokémon journey all these years?" Shane asked, sounded surprised. 

"What are you talking about?" I snapped, glaring with all my might. "It's to continue my education, obviously."

Shane shrugged. "If that's what they've told you," the boy said, turning away. "It's not my place to say otherwise. But believe me, Lody, you're in no position to test your parents' trust. Or else…" He paused, waiting for me to speak.

_ So it's true. I'm really not worthy of their trust. Especially not next to Shane's shining example…_

Something within me exploded violently. Strangely, as if in a daze, I felt myself walking back towards the Lab, Roary, Picassy, and the rest watching me curiously. Amulet trotted up to match my steps, gazing at me questioningly. Once back inside, I obtained a backpack, along with a sleeping bag and such other necessities. Stuffing them all into my pack (it was a tight fit), I stormed down the steps and came face to face with my father at the door.

He raised his eyebrows. "Just what is the meaning of this?"

I slung my pack over my shoulder. "I'm leaving," I answered coolly. "To begin my Pokémon journey."

My father put a hand on my shoulder. "But I thought next year…"

"What else do I have left to learn here?" I challenged. "You took on Shane; you should teach him now, not me." As if anybody could teach Shane anything anymore.

My father's eyes darkened behind his glasses. "Lody, if Shane's bothering you…"

"There are many reasons to start a Pokémon journey," I interrupted, pushing past him and out the door. "I need your trust. Please just give it to me this one time."

He was silent as I turned my back. With Amulet at my side, I started down the road. 


	5. (Shane) No Challenges

Star in the Storm, Chapter 4

*"No Challenges"

* * *

_*No name means no narrator. Everything is in third-person. I don't know, I just thought more than two narrators would be confusing. _

Shane heard Lody Chimera storm past loudly and hastily. That is, until Roary Ketchum skipped forward and opened her big mouth.

"I always knew Chimera had a serious attitude problem," she said sweetly, clapping her hands. "Well, who cares about her? Hey, wanna come inside? I could get you something to drink."

"That's very hospitable of you," Shane replied politely. "Uh, Rosie, is it?"

The girl giggled loudly, as if caught in a drunken stupor. "Roary, actually," she corrected. "But you can call me Rosie, if you want." 

_Okaaay_, Shane thought uneasily. The people of Pallet Town were definitely weird. First there was Professor Koreyu, one of the greatest minds to ever grace the earth. And who acted as if he had a mental age of three. Then there was his uncanny daughter, Lody, who had the social skills of a rock. And now this scary girl, who couldn't stop giggling! It was really getting on his nerves by now. 

"That's okay," he smiled, which just seemed to make Roary giggle harder than ever. "By the way, how good is Lody Chimera at hacking?"

Roary blinked slowly. "You mean like cutting things up into little pieces?"

"No, hacking as in computers. As in gaining illegal access to certain computer systems."

"Ooh, is Chimera doing something illegal?" Roary cried. "I'd love to catch her at that!" She puzzled out Shane's question for a moment, as he tried hard to conceal his impatience. "Oh, I don't know. Lody does make a killer PowerPoint." She pondered a bit longer, wearing Shane's temper dangerously thin. "Lody's pretty sharp, if she's in the mood. I bet she'd be capable of something like that, if she really wanted to be."

"Thanks!" Shane said gratefully, grinning so widely that Roary almost fainted. "Gotta go! I'll see you later, um, Ruby!" 

Her vividly bright red face matched this name perfectly now, according to a whispered sneer from Gauntal. Shane shuddered; it almost scared him how much power he had.

_ "Better duck!"_ Gauntal called in Eonic as Roary skipped by to let them through. Shane obeyed just in time; Roary's whiplike ponytail just barely clipped him on the shoulder. 

"Thanks, Gaunt," Shane said, heaving a sigh of relief. Gauntal could be impish at times, but the steadfast Umbreon guide-dog was always on the alert. Shane was thankful for that, as well as Gauntal's companionship, even going to special lengths to learn Eonic himself. But then again, he was more dependent on his Pokémon than most other trainers, and good communication between them was necessary.

Though he tried not to tell anybody, Shane was blind. Had been from birth, though he'd learned to get along well enough with Gauntal's help. But it was surprising, even to him, how many people didn't notice if he kept quiet about it. (Shane still wasn't sure if either Roary or Lody had caught on yet.) He didn't like to flaunt it, what with all these new League policies discouraging any trainers who had disabilities. Shane didn't have any reason to go to extra lengths to prove himself…he'd done that amply enough for his subordinates.

* * *

Prof. Koreyu was waiting for him in the front yard as he unlocked the gate.

"Is Lody home?" Shane asked in puzzlement.

The Professor sighed. "She's off on some quest," he answered vaguely. "I guess she just felt too much confinement here."

Shane's jaw dropped and he felt his spirits sink. "But, but isn't that dangerous?" he sputtered finally. "An inexperienced girl, out there all alone? She could get lost or something!"

Prof. K laughed. "Lody, get lost? I can't even picture it!"

"Well, somebody should keep an eye on her," Shane defended himself. "After all, she is inexperienced."

The Professor chuckled louder than ever. "Just go ahead and try your luck," he chortled amusedly. "Believe me, it's not whether Lody needs help; it's whether she'll leave you in any shape to give it."

Shane shrugged. "I'll go and pack my things."

Upstairs, he searched Lody's room thoroughly with his trusty Porygon2, Hyperion, but all in vain. If she has it, she's taken it with her, obviously, Shane thought angrily, mentally chastising himself for his lack of common sense. Oh, why did that annoying girl have to complicate things so much? She had absolutely no idea what she was meddling with, did she?

Some of it had been his fault, Shane admitted. He had been too persistent, too anxious to get to the bottom of Lody's nighttime escapade. But Shane had pushed Lody too far, especially after bringing her parents into it the situation. He hadn't expected her to get so agitated. Apparently, something really was tense between them.

He even tried Lody's wastebasket; it was possible, wasn't it? But all he found in there were some crumpled-up test results in a torn envelope.

A voice in the hallway startled him into an impulsive jump, just as he was recalling Hyperion. "Hey, Shane," Professor K. called. "Take Lody her homework for me, will you? She'd better not fall behind in her studies for some silly Pokémon journey."

Shane sighed in relief, and took the laptop the Professor placed in his hands with much relief. "I hope you don't think I'm trying to intrude on family business," he ventured nervously.

Prof. K.'s hearty laugh echoed about the hall. "Hey, it's summer break after all, and you're a kid. Go have some fun, and try not to let Lody push you in the dirt," he added, leading Shane to the door. "But hey, if you wanna rack up suck-up points with your teacher, I'd like a twenty page report on on the history of Pokémon training by next Monday."

Shane groaned. Not too loudly, though. Additional homework was of little concern compared to what could happen if things got out of hand. Waving goodbye, he started down the hill.

"Remember!" the Professor's voice pierced through the air. "I'm not reading it unless it's double-spaced!"

* * *

Gauntal had flopped out on the far lawn while he'd been talking to the Professor and was sprawled in the heat of the midday sun. Shane, sensing his friend's dejection, raised his eyebrows at the usually energetic Umbreon. "What's the matter, Gaunt? Depressed?"

_ "Stomach ache,"_ Gauntal grunted out, crunching the grass as it rolled over . A dull thud sounded as it patted its tummy with its paw. Wincing slightly, it rolled back onto its stomach, sighing softly. _"No offense, but I'm pretty sure it was that weird breakfast you concocted this morning,"_

Shane frowned. "I guess I'll have to carry you. We're leaving to go after Lody Chimera, and we really don't have a second to spare."

Gauntal's floppy ears perked up in and instant, slapping audibly against the sides of the Umbreon's head. _ "You mean the Professor's kid?"_ it asked Shane curiously. 

"The one and only," Shane replied.

_ "Well then, what are we waiting for?" _ Gauntal cried, springing to its feet and charging forward like a lawn-crunching, dirt-kicking missile. _ "Hurry up, we don't want to lose them!" _ it panted, flinging its leash into Shane's hands. 

Shane moved to Gauntal's side and gently turned the Umbreon to face in the opposite direction, where he felt the dirt of the well worn road beneath his sneaker soles. "Uh, I'm not sure, but aren't we're going this way?" he asked.

_ "Of course!"_ Gauntal answered quickly, charging forward once again. _"Let's go, go, go!!!"_

Shane smiled at his Pokémon, barely able to restrain a chuckle at the Umbreon's antics. He could be wrong, but was almost positive Gauntal had its eye on Lody's Espeon, Amulet. 

"Hey, Shane!" a familiar voice rang out, one Shane had been positively dreading. Roary had arrived on the scene again, and by her labored breathing, must have been coming at a run. 

_"Uh oh,"_ Gauntal groaned, edging back a bit and letting the leash go slack in Shane's hands. _"She's got a pack. What ever you do, DON'T let her come with us."_

"I was wondering if you'd let me come with you," Roary said eagerly, footsteps coming to a silent standstill. "I couldn't help but overhear, but I'm a pretty good battler, and I've done tons of traveling in the past two years. Maybe I can help you guys around or something."

"Pi!" a small voice trilled. Shane felt a furry paw brush his leg. Picassy.

"Really, Cass?" Gauntal whispered slowly. "You're saying Lody and Amulet borrowed your hovercraft? And you've still got the tracker?"

Tiny claws dug through Shane's skin as Picassy scrambled onto his shoulder. "Pichu! Pic ic ic!" it squealed, elated to be the center of attention. 

_"Quick!"_ Gauntal cried, tugging impatiently on its leash. _"Make them come with us! They can track Lody's hovercraft!"_

Shane's head did a mental flip-flop. Hovercrafts had been nonexistent for the most part up to a few years ago, but were now were in wide use with people who hated to walk, but weren't old enough to drive. Mostly eager young Pokémon trainers, or what was left of them, anyway. Shane wasn't quite clear on how they worked, but knew that at the speed which they traveled, Lody could be gone and off on a wild adventure before he had the time to sneeze. He could put up with Roary Ketchum, if that's what it took to track that pesky Chimera girl down. He just hoped he wasn't too late.

"We'd be glad to have you along," he replied, flashing a quick smile. "I don't suppose you have an old hot air balloon lying around anywhere, do you?"

"I know!" Roary yelled instantly, clapping her hands in delight. "Dad has one in the supply shed out back; he uses it during his commentaries at the League every year!"

Shane grinned to himself as Roary rushed away, all too eager to please. Gauntal sidled up beside him, bumping his nose against Shane's hand. 

_"You thinking what I'm thinking?" _he asked, pawing through Shane's pockets.

Shane reached down to take a small PokéCapsule from the Umbreon's mouth. "Thanks, Gaunt," he said, running his fingers familiarly over the worn capsule. He felt the ridged bulge of a stomach, the smooth stretch of wings, and a blunt snout at the end of the figure's cocked head. Without hesitation, he flung the capsule high into the air.

A loud wrenching sounded as the capsule flew forward, twisting and writhing as it transformed into a Pokémon. 

Shane's Dragonite unfurled its broad wings with a sharp snap and let out an enthusiastic battle cry. Charging forward, it was stopped only by Gauntal, who had planted itself in the path.

_ "Slow down, big guy!" _the Umbreon called. _"There's no battle here!"_

The Dragonite made of small noise of confusion, the furious beating of its wings coming to a reluctant still.

"Over here, Ragnarok!" Shane called to his Dragonite. With a happy chirp, Ragnarok flapped to Shane's side and lowered its head as it had been trained to do. Hoisting himself onto the Dragonite's back, Shane mounted just in time to hear Roary's astonished gasp.

"You have a Dragonite?" she squealed, running forward eagerly. "This is _ so _cool! Can I pet him? Ooh, are we gonna ride him?"

Shane laughed at Roary's excitement, not to mention the Dragonite's awkwardness as the girl came forward to pat the Pokémon's head. "No, Ragnarok couldn't possibly carry all of us. But you can ride in the balloon, and he can carry that. By the way…" Shane paused. If Lody had gone anywhere, it would obviously be to Charicific Valley, the largest Charizard reserve in all the regions. _Something about meeting a Charm, _he remembered vaguely. Well, that would work out surprisingly well, considering that he had been about to be drafted there anyway.

"I don't suppose you know anything about a Charm from Charicific Valley?" he asked Roary. 

"Charm?" a gloomy voice intoned from behind the house. With a labored step, a droopy-eared Meganium named Bryar (according to Gauntal) poked its head around the corner and sighed heavily. "Pika and the Professor's daughter already left to meet Charm half-an-hour ago," it groaned. "Not that they bothered to ask me along, no sir. Now guess who's getting stuck with all of Pikapal's house chores?" Bryar sighed again, even louder than before. 

"Say Bryar," Roary said quickly. "Have you been to Charicific Valley before? Do you know Charm?"

"Bryar's got the route to Charicific Valley practically down by heart!" a chorus of Pokémon called from behind the house. "For when it goes to see _ Charm_!"

"Shut up!" Bryar yelled back at them, vine whips flailing dangerously. Turning back to Roary and Shane, it shrugged dismissively. "Pikapal's talked about Charicific Valley once or twice, and I met Charm a while back. Just a couple times, you know, no big deal…"

"Great!" Roary cried. "You're coming with us!"

The Meganium's gloomy voice perked right up. "Really? I mean, alright then. Let's hurry up and get it over with."

_Some group we have here, _Shane grinned as Roary, Picassy, and Bryar boarded into the hot air balloon. As he mounted Ragnarok with Gauntal and gave the command for take-off, he was smiling faintly to himself. This assignment was turning out to be much more interesting than he'd expected. The complications with the Chimera girl would easy enough to smooth out; he'd faced harder problems than her before. Lody Chimera wouldn't be a challenge, no challenge at all. 

* * *

Notes:

The idea of a Pokémon guide-dog got stuck in my head one day and refused to go away. People are always going on about how strong the bond is between a Pokémon and trainer. Could this bond be strengthened to the point where a Pokémon could seamlessly become the virtual eyes of its trainer, and no one would notice? Just another weird idea; I have a lot of them, so don't take me seriously.


	6. Lody: Journey to Charicific Valley

Star in the Storm, Chapter 5

Lody- "Journey to Charicific Valley"

* * *

"We're on the right track!" Pika called over the rush of wind around us. "Just remember to follow the stream below!" Bright-eyed and with the wind ruffling its fur in all directions, the Pikachu looked enthusiastic enough for all of us. Amulet, on the other hand, was looking sick to her stomach.

"Are we almost there yet?" she asked weakly, putting her paws over her nose. 

"We won't get to the Valley until evening," Pika called back to her, leaning exhilarated over the edge of the hovercraft and letting the wind blow through its fur. "Not unless we get some good winds on our way in."

"You sure you don't want to go back into your PokéCap, Ami?" I asked her. "You really don't look so great."

"No, I'm okay. It's just that…I don't have a head for heights."

Pika grinned, slapping the Espeon heartily on the back. "Hey, neither did I for a while!" it admitted. "But after flying around with Stray all the time, I got used to them."

"Stray?" I repeated. 

"Ash's old Charizard," Pika answered. "Now that was one stubborn Pokémon! Didn't like one bit the fact that it was being reduced to a private jetliner. 'Course, Stray would do anything for Charm."

"From what I've heard, it sounds like a lot of people would," I replied wryly. "I don't know, it reminds me kind of…oh, never mind."

Pika's eyes were bright with curiosity. "Charm's not what you'd call a people Pokémon," the Pikachu grinned. "But it makes its friends for keeps."

We rode most of the trip in silence, despite Pika's frequent attempts at conversation. Amulet was busy struggling not to throw up and I was growing expert at putting off the energetic Pikachu with a shrug or quick nod. Eventually, it too lapsed into quiet and concentrated solely on the steering of the hovercraft. I contented myself with watching the scenery passing below us. 

A few hours later, Amulet was dozing and my neck was growing cramped from staring down all the time. Looking up, I saw Pika pinch its cheek pouch in an attempt to keep itself from nodding off. 

"Tired?" I said finally, breaking the silence that had hung between us.

Pika looked over its shoulder and grinned. "I'll hold out," it told me confidently. "It just seems such a long time since breakfast."

Reaching into my pack, I dug out the two apples I had packed for Amulet and myself. Glancing at my sleeping Espeon, I placed one apple beside her and took a bite of the other one, savoring the sweet juice. 

Pika pinched itself again, and I thought I saw a tiny spark of electricity leap out from under its paw. 

"Here," I said gruffly, shoving an energy bar in Pika's direction. "Eat something."

"Thanks a lot," Pika replied, unwrapping the bar and chewing gratefully. "You're a good kid, Lody, and I wouldn't expect anything less."

"You're not crashing this craft with me and Amulet on it," I answered stiffly, taking another bite from my apple. "So don't bother thanking me." 

"Touchy!" Pika quipped. "What, can't you admit you were doing something nice for a poor li'l Pikachu?" It made a face. "Oh no, don't tell me! Are you one of those anti-Pikachu people that go around burning Pikachu stuffed animals? Nah, I don't think that's you, Lody."

I folded my arms and stared out over the horizon, not bothering to reply. Something at the edge of the sky caught my eye and I squinted for a closer look.

"Somebody's following us," I said, pointing to the brightly-colored hot air balloon behind the hovercraft. "I think there's some kind of flying Pokémon pulling them along…" Reaching into my backpack, I produced a pair of binoculars and brought them to my eyes. My earlier observation had been correct; it was a Pokémon pulling the balloon along, a Dragonite to be exact. And on the back of the Dragonite, with his silvery-blond hair and dark green jacket, was none other than Shane Rising. 

I groaned, not even bothering to check the contents of the balloon basket. "Pika, can you lose that hot air balloon back there?" I asked the Pikachu pilot. "Quickly, please?"

The Pikachu craned its neck around, peering curiously into the sky behind us. "Who is it?" it questioned me, swerving about just in time to avoid a particular tall pine tree.

I shook my head impatiently. "Never mind that!" I said through clenched teeth. "I just _really_ don't want them following us."

"If you say so…" Pika shrugged before putting on speed. The Pikachu led a winding chase through the treetops, ducking so low that I was almost hit by a rogue branch. "They can't follow us down here," it called to me, flinching as a twig snapped above its ear. "But it's gonna be slow going for a while."

I sighed and sat back, folding my arms over my stomach. Why couldn't Shane stay in Pallet where everybody loved him, instead of stalking me? He was gone for now, at least, but that didn't mean I could let my guard down.

Shane and his balloon were nowhere in sight when we finally broke out of the forest. I gave Pika the rest of my energy bars in a silent thank-you. 

* * *

The afternoon soon darkened into evening. As the last hues of red and purple slipped from the sky, Pika turned back to me and the sleeping Amulet with a satisfied smile. "We're almost there!" it proclaimed, pointing. "Charicific Valley, straight ahead!""

Leaning over the edge of the hovercraft, I caught sight of a wide gorge, sheltered on one side by a thick expanse of forest. High cliffs came up to meet us as we flew on, and even Pika was having trouble steering past them in the increasingly dim light. A wave of exhilaration washed over me as I feasted my eyes upon the ancient chasms, weathered long ago by wind and water. I had rarely left my hometown of Pallet before this. Even now, the experience seemed fantastic and unreal, like something one would read about in a storybook.

"Amulet, wake up," I whispered, nudging my Espeon awake. "Come and look at this!"

"Are we there already?" The Espeon started to her feet, took one look over the edge of the hovercraft, and collapsed back down in relief. "At last," she sighed. Yawning and stretching like a drowsy cat, Amulet turned to our Pikachu pilot. "Pika?" she said. Then more loudly –"Pika?"

"What's up, Amulet?" Pika called, eyes fixated on the cliffs.

"I was just curious…it's getting a bit dark now. Where are we going to land?"

The Pikachu's face went through a whole series of contortions as it slowed the hovercraft. "That would be a good question," the Pikachu admitted worriedly. "Frankly, I was expecting to get here before it got so dark."

I folded my arms, avoiding Pika's eyes. "I'm sorry." My insistence to avoid Shane was undoubtedly the cause for our delay.

"Forget it." Pika pointed into the dark gorge, and I strained to follow the Pikachu's line of sight. "There's a stream down there somewhere, and I was planning for the water to cushion our landing," Pika continued as we hung suspended in the air above the gorge. "I'm going to try to go in anyway. I doubt we have enough fuel to stay up here the entire night."

I squinted once more at the pitch-black chasm. "You sure that's our only option?" 

"Mmmph," my Espeon replied, hiding her face from the sight of the gorge. "Do we happen to have another Plan B, Pika?"

"Give me a second here," the Pikachu said, stalling the hovercraft and leaning over the edge. "Hello!" it yelled, cupping its paws around its mouth. "Anybody down there?"

_There…theerrree…theeerrreee…._Pika's shrill cry resounded off the steep canyon walls, throwing a series of echoes into the night air.

"We need some help up here!" Pika called again. "We are traveling by hovercraft and need to land! Is anyone down there! Can you hear us?"

_Us…us…us…_the echo came. It ran all along the length of the gorge before fading away into the darkness.

Pika's long ears twitched and it turned to me and Amulet. "Do you hear anything?" it whispered.

Amulet shook her head. "Only echoes."

Shaking its head, Pika returned to its position at the edge of the hovercraft. It was bracing itself for another shout when both of its ears twitched again and stood straight up into the air. 

"What is it?" I asked.

Putting a paw to its lips, Pika gestured down the canyon below. "Listen!" it whispered urgently. 

As she bent forward, Amulet's ears perked up as well. "Can you hear it, Lody?" she asked me eagerly.

Straining for the third time, I clenched my jaw and turned the side of my head to the darkness below. And this time, faint but sure, came the sweet sound of a harmonica. Quick and bright, the song of the harmonica darted up through the canyon, like some kind of guiding star cloaked in the guise of sound.

Without a word, Pika slowly lowered the hovercraft into the gorge, ears twitching in time to the song.

"What are you doing?" I hissed. "That harmonica could be coming from any number of directions! You know how the echoes in this Valley are!"

"It's no echo, Lody," Amulet said softly. "Now hush. Pika has to listen."

Following the song of the harmonica, Pika carefully maneuvered the hovercraft deeper and deeper into the canyon. Though the sky had now grown pitch black, making it impossible to even see the walls of the canyons anymore, Pika kept on lowering the craft. The harmonica kept on playing, growing steadily louder as we went on.

Listening closely, I found the tune was one that I recognized. And try as I might, the closer we came to the source of the song, the less able I was to restrain myself from humming a few bars of it to myself.

Brow etched in concentration, Pika clenched its jaw and gently dropped the hovercraft several more yards. With a splash that sent a spray of water up on all sides of the craft, we landed at long last. The propellers slowed with a whir, stilling the air around us.

"You did it, Pika!" Amulet cried gratefully, running up and bowing to the Pikachu in thanks. "We owe our lives to you!"

Pika rubbed the back of its head sheepishly. "Don't thank me," it said. "Thank our mystery musician. They're the one who really got us through back there." 

_And I'm the one who got us into that situation in the first place. _ Couldn't I do anything right for a change? 

"We'll have to thank 'em later, though," Pika said with a yawn, curling up on its side. "I'm too tired to even set up camp."

I could do that at least. After rolling out sleeping bags for me, myself, and Pika, I lay down and put my arms behind my head. And though I didn't mean to, I fell asleep almost instantly, humming the tune of the harmonica quietly to myself.

I was too tired to think much of it at the time, but there was something else behind the harmonica's song and the whisperings of the wind. As my mind slipped away into unconsciousness, I thought I could hear someone laughing, a laugh that echoed over the valley and faded away long after I fell asleep.

* * *

Notes:

Just on the side, I don't think anybody besides Lody and Roary is going to get to talk in first-person for any of this story. I admire the kind of people who are able to handle multiple viewpoints without getting too confusing, but sadly, I'm not one of them. Other characters (Amulet, Shane, etc.) might get to narrate in short stories though, where the focus is mainly on them.


	7. Roary: Aurora's Goldenrod Duel

Star in the Storm, Chapter 6

Roary- "Aurora's Goldenrod Duel"

* * *

_ Earlier that day… _

Man, talk about a page hog! Lody Chimera sure knows how to eat up those chapters. Well, hi again? Did ya miss me? That's right, Roary Ketchum's back for another round!

Let's see; where to begin, where to begin…I know! After Lody stomped out of my yard, it turns out that she left home to start her Pokémon journey. Ha, I knew she was gonna do it sooner or later! Bet she was just waiting for the chance to make a dramatic exit.

Shane found out that Lody was actually headed for Charicific Valley to visit one of Pika's old buddies, Charm. Being the nice, considerate guy that he is, Shane volunteered to go look after Lody, and invited me along as well, seeing as how I'm an experienced trainer who'll know how to handle any situations that might come up. 

What? You're sayin' you already knew all that? 

Well, it's the best part of the story so far, so I might as well repeat it, plus give you my take on things while I'm at it. To tell you the truth, I was worried at first that Shane might not let me come along. I guess he's kind of like Lody in that respect; both of 'em got this whole independent person thing that they just refuse to drop. Dad says I'm like that, too, only less reserved about it. I tell him he was no better at my age. 

I know some kids who probably can't talk to their parents like that. But it's different with Dad and me; ever since Mom passed away, we've been real close. I'm also good friends with Ms. Waterflower down at PokémonLand, but Dad's always been like my best pal. 

When other kids thought I was weird for wanting to be a Pokémon master and looked down their noses at me, Dad still supported me every step of the way. The day I got my Pokémon license, this lady from down the street came up to my father and demanded what he was doing letting a ten year-old girl leave home and wander around the regions on her own. She said all these things, about how if my mom were still alive, she'd never permit it. And Dad didn't even flinch. He looked that lady back square in the eye and told her that he had left home on a Pokémon journey when he was ten years-old, and seeing his ten year-old daughter becoming a Pokémon trainer today was by far the proudest moment in his entire life. 

I've been trying my best ever since to make sure my dad really does have something to be proud of. Dad was one heck of a Pokémon master, one of the youngest the regions had seen in years. Like I've been told time and time again, his is an especially hard act to follow. 

But if anyone can do it, Dad says, it's me. _ Pokémon mastery takes a lot outta you, _Dad would say to me. _Like me, Aurora, you've got the guts, you've got the nerve, and you've got the drive. I know you have what it takes to be the best because you remind me of myself when I was your age._

Ms. Waterflower was there when he said that, and she just smirked at that last remark and said something about a bike. She and Dad go way back. 

Well, anyways, I was pretty excited when Shane decided to let me come with him to track down Lody. I'd been to the Johto region a couple times before, but never to somewhere as interesting as Charicific Valley. Nothing was going to make me regret this trip. Nothing, well except maybe…

"Hey, watch where you're stepping, Aurora!" Bryar called irritably as I stuck my head out over the balloon basket to wave at Shane. Grumbling in annoyance, the Meganium nearly shoved me out of the basket in an attempt to free its tail from under my foot, before going back to operate the burner.

"Oh, sorry," I said sheepishly, steeping cautiously to the side. "Uh, Bryar?"

"What?" the Meganium snapped, giving the burner rope an especially hard yank.

"Could you call me Roary? Everybody does."

Bryar rolled its golden eyes, the fine antennae atop its head twitching spastically. "Everybody 'cept me and your papa, _Aurora _Ketchum_,_" it retorted with a sneer.

"Pi, pi!" Picassy crooned from its precarious perch at the edge of the basket. I caught the Pichu hastily before it had a chance to tip all the way over.

Bryar shot me another dagger-embedded stare. I grinned sheepishly once more; while I had been trying to save Picassy from becoming a splat on the hillside, I'd accidentally stepped on Bryar's tail again. 

"How's it going, Shane?" I called, sticking my head out the balloon and waving, carefully avoiding Bryar's tail this time.

"Fine," he yelled back, not even turning around. "Bryar, are you handling the burner okay?"

The Meganium shoved its way to the front of the balloon, nearly knocking me and Picassy over. "'Course I am!" it called up to Shane and his Dragonite. "Ha! In your face, Pika! There ain't nobody who can outdo Bryar when it comes to balloon burners! Nobody!"

Picassy was hard enough to handle as it was. But as soon as it heard Pika's name, the little Pichu went into super hyper-mode. "Piii, pichu!" Picassy cried merrily, off and running up the basket lines before I could stop it. 

"Cass, get back here!" I yelled, reaching over the edge of the balloon. "You're gonna fall if you're not careful!" 

"Pichu, pichu!" Picassy crowed, making an impish face.

Now, I'm no Pokémon Interpreter like Rowan Chimera, but what Picassy was saying was as clear as day. It went something along the lines of "I can't hear you!"

Pulling a PokéBall from my pocket, I tried as hard as I could to recall Cass. Thinking it was some sort of new game, the Pichu ducked and dodged every single time the red beam shot out, making funny faces as it danced along the line. 

"Bryar, please!" I got down on my hands and knees, and clasped my hands together real pleading-like. "I need to get Picassy back!"

"And you want me to do what?"

"Thanks, Bryar!" I said joyfully. "Now while I crawl out there to get Picassy back, you have to hold onto my leg with your vine whips or something so I don't fall."

Bryar stared at me incredulously as I started off. "You crazy or something, Aurora?" it yelled at my back. "You're gonna get yourself killed!"

But I wasn't paying any attention. Reaching forward, I held out a hand to grab Picassy. Grinning mischievously, the Pichu hopped out of reach and I felt myself toppling forward. Stomach lurching sickeningly, I yelped and groped wildly for the line…just as Bryar's thick vine whips lashed around my leg and yanked me back into the basket.

"You know," Bryar said sarcastically as I shakily got to my feet. "Did you ever consider the possibility that maybe _I _could have grabbed Picassy with one of these?" It held up a vine whip and shook it in my face. "These aren't just for looks, you know!" Scowling to itself, the Meganium reached out with its other vine whip and scooped Picassy back into the basket, all in one fluid motion. 

Stuttering my thanks, I took Picassy from Bryar and held the little Pichu close. "I'm sorry," I said, stumbling over my words. "I didn't think…"

"You never do," Bryar said, turning its back on us. "You're like your father in that way, Aurora. Glory and guts don't mix."

Well, Bryar could insult me all day long as far as I was concerned. But if it was going to drag my father into it…

"Pi, pi!" Picassy cried, popping out from my arms and darting to the edge of the basket. "Pichu, ooo! Chu, pii!"

"What is it now, you little furball?" Bryar groaned, making its way to the front of the balloon and peering out. Suddenly, its entire attitude changed, and those little antennae perked right up from the back of the Meganium's head. "Hey, Aurora!" it called, gesturing me over with a vine whip. "Isn't that your friend, the professor's kid?"

"Where?" Scrambling to stand beside Bryar, I managed to grab Picassy before it decided to jump out of the balloon. 

The Meganium pointed with one long vine whip at this tiny speck in the far distance, one that was steadily growing larger and larger. Shane had seen Lody's hovercraft as well and was pushing his Dragonite full speed towards it.

Bryar sniffed at the small yellow figure who was piloting the hovercraft. "It's good old Pikapal again," it said disdainfully, looking down at Pika like the Pikachu was dirt on the end of the Meganium's snout. "Never knew the little guy could fly one of those things, but I guess I should've expected it."

"Pi, pii? Pichu?" Picassy said, squirming out of my grasp and climbing onto Bryar's head.

"Oh, you!" Bryar said sulkily as Picassy started tying its antennae together. "I despise rodents," it groaned. "Especially the cute ones." 

I yelped as the balloon jolted, then did a wild spin in the air (the balloon, not me). 

"Watch how you're flying out there!" Bryar yelled at Shane's Dragonite, just before another jolt knocked it to the floor of the basket. 

"Sorry!" Shane called back to us, still not taking his eyes from the course ahead. We were gaining speed real fast now, and the momentum of the charge threw me against the side of the balloon basket, knocking all the wind from me.

"WATCH IT!" Bryar snapped, yanking its tail out from under my foot once again. "How many times are you going to do that before we get off this thing! And you!" it yelled, hanging its head out the basket and shaking an angered vine whip at Shane and his Dragonite. "What are you trying to do! Get us all killed!"

"Pichu, pichu!" Picassy giggled, putting the finishing touches on Bryar's antennae knot. 

"And especially you!" Bryar stormed, slumping to the bottom of the basket as we made another crazy turn that sent everybody crashing into the side again. "Somebody get that rodent off of me!" it growled threateningly. 

"Pi?"

"Or else…" The Meganium groped for words as we slammed into the other side of the basket. "Or else…no more head rides for you, Picassy! And I mean it this time!"

I shook my head and grinned. "Of all the things you couldn't handle, Bryar, I never would've guessed little kids was one of 'em."

"Oh, shut up," Bryar sulked. 

The balloon took another crazy wheel, just as Picassy decided to jump of Bryar's head. I barely caught it as the balloon swerved again, then righted itself.

The balloon was floating steadily now, still in mid-air. Poking my head out over the edge of the basket, I could hear Shane yelling from the front, along with Gauntal's frantic barks.

"They went in the forest!" Shane was groaning. "We'll never be able to follow them in there!"

Gauntal barked out a couple more yips and yaps, and Shane nodded. "You're right, boy," he said. "It doesn't matter. We know we're they're headed anyway, and we still have the tracker. We'll find them soon enough. Right, Ragnarok?"

The huge Dragonite chirped in agreement. I barely had time to brace myself as we took off once again. 

"Teenage drivers will be the death of me yet," Bryar grumbled darkly. "I knew I should've stayed at home."

"Pichu! Ooo!" Picassy chimed happily, leaping back onto Bryar's head to tie more knots.

"Pikapal, if you're out there," the Meganium muttered, sinking lower in its seat, "I hope you die a slow, painful death by ketchup deprivation."

* * *

_ The next day..._

I don't think I've ever seen Shane angry before. But his normally pale face was flushed and his voice strained as he ordered his Dragonite to a halt and announced a change in course early the next morning. I was almost too groggy at first to realize what he was saying; I had to do burner duty all last night, and good old Bryar hadn't made the job any better with its rumbling snores.

"What!" Bryar yelled as soon as it got wind of what Shane was saying, bolting up in its seat and nearly knocking Picassy and me out of the basket. "What about going to Charicific Valley!"

Shane looked over his shoulder at the Meganium, who was promptly slammed into the side of the basket as the Dragonite executed a rapid turn. "I've had a change of priorities," he said quietly, voice almost too calm.

"Listen, kid, I didn't volunteer to sit in this basket, operate your burner, and almost get myself killed by your inept flying skills! Are we going to Charicific Valley or aren't we?"

"I'll make sure we get there," Shane said, in the same too calm voice as before. "Right after we make a visit to Goldenrod City. I have to…pick up something there."

"Goldenrod City?" My eyes got all big and starry and I grabbed Picassy and hugged it in excitement. "He said we were going to Goldenrod City! You know what this means, don't you!"

"She's actually happy about this," Bryar grumbled irritably. "What is this, some kind of conspiracy to make _me_ miserable?" 

"We'll get to go to the Goldenrod Gym!" I cried happily, hugging Picassy even tighter. "I've always wanted to go into the Johto League!"

Picassy was nearly the point of suffocation by now. "Pi, pi!" it choked out.

"Now you know, rodent," Bryar muttered to Picassy. "Humans are trouble. Every last one of them."

"Quick, let's think! What kind of Pokémon does the Goldenrod City Gym Leader use?" I mused, giving Picassy just enough time to pop out and climb onto my head.

"Normal types!" Bryar snapped. "Big scary normal types like Miltank and Clefairy! I should remember; your father had an especially rough time."

"What kind of strategy did he use, Bryar? Please, tell me!"

"He cheated," Bryar snorted. "Couldn't win the first time, so he begged for a rematch on unauthorized gym land. The gym leader, Whitney, was pretty nice about it, considering he used three Pokémon against her one." 

"Wow! I didn't know I could do that!"

Bryar slapped its forehead with a vine whip. "You're Ash's kid, alright," it said disgustedly.

"Keep on dising my dad, Bryar, and I swear you're gonna regret it! Why don't we settle this once and for all? Rock, paper, scissors, best two out of three!"

Bryar rolled its eyes and held up a vine whip. "If you think I can make any shape other than the one my whip is currently in, think again."

I sighed tiredly. "You know, this would be a whole lot easier if you were human, Bryar," I said. "Then we could just have a Pokémon battle. How about Tic-tac-toe?" 

"No way."

"A round of I Spy?" 

"Uh uh."

"Checkers?"

"You think _I _can move those tiny little pieces with my great big vine whip?!"

"Oh, fine. Chess?"

"Same concept!"

* * *

_ Goldenrod, at last..._

"Ah, just breathe in that wonderful city air!" I cried, throwing my arms out and rapidly choking on some gas fumes. Picassy made a gagging sound and hid its nose beneath its paw. Skyscrapers and streets had been stuck around the city at odd angles and in impossibly cramped positions. Everywhere I looked, there seemed to be another slough of honking cars or more concrete walls covered in colorful graffiti. Besides all that, the prevailing color of Goldenrod City was dirty cement grey, not at all like its whimsical name.

I felt another coughing jag coming on and my spirits began to wither, like I was sure any sign of plant life in the fair city of Goldenrod had already done long ago.

"Well, it's Goldenrod City," I defended determinedly. "Next thing is to find to Goldenrod Gym; what do you say, Picassy?"

"Pichu!" Cass crowed.

"How about you, Shane? Shane?" Skipping over, I noticed Shane and Gauntal standing a little to the side, in the shadow of an alleyway. Shane had his ear next to a strange gadget on his hand and was sharply muttering something out of the side of his mouth. His head jerked up as I approached, and he smiled smoothly. 

"Just trying to fix my watch," he explained, holding out his wrist and showing me what indeed seemed to be just an ordinary, everyday wristwatch. "It stopped ticking a few minutes ago, but I think I've got it working again." Stuffing his hand in his jacket pocket, he stepped onto the narrow sidewalk, taking Gauntal with him. "Okay, first thing we have to do is stop by the Goldenrod Gym," he announced. "There's something there I need to pick up."

"Really? That's great!" I was practically dancing around with joy until I tripped over Bryar's tail and fell flat on my face in the street. 

The Meganium flicked its tail irritably. "I say the sooner we're out of here, the better," it snapped crossly. "So make your Gym match short, you hear, Aurora?"

Scrambling to my feet, I did a quick victory pose, winking with one eye and cocking my head to one side. "You ain't got nothing to worry about!" I said confidently.

"Pichupi!" Cass chimed, landing atop my head. 

"Right! Onto the Goldenrod Gym!" I started to march down the sidewalk, but stopped when I realized nobody else was behind me. 

"Earth to Aurora!" came Bryar's distant voice. "The Goldenrod Gym is right over here!"

I executed a rapid about-face and sheepishly ran to catch up with the others.

The glass doors to the Gym were opened by a young redheaded girl, who looked up at us as we came barreling in. Well, actually only I came barreling in. The rest of the gang was hanging back embarrassedly as I started my trademark challenger's speech.

"I'm Roary Ketchum from the town of Pallet!" I proclaimed loudly, striking a pose in the middle of the lobby. "And I hereby challenge the Goldenrod City Gym Leader to a Pokémon battle for the…um, something Badge."

"Plain Badge," the redheaded girl corrected primly. 

"Yeah," I agreed quickly. "What she said."

"I'm very sorry," the girl said, riffling through a clipboard on the lobby desk. "But I don't see a Roary Ketchum registered for a match anywhere."

"What?" I nearly fell over from holding my pose so long. "You mean I need to schedule a match beforehand?"

"That is the policy," the girl replied with a shrug. "Sorry."

"But…but that's unheard of!" I cried, planting my arms over the girl's desk and refusing to budge. "I've never heard of _ scheduling_ matches before!" 

"That's a surprise," came a light, feminine voice from the back of the lobby. "I imagine it will become quite popular with Gym Leaders in the future. It's so inconvenient, you know, not knowing when you'll be having a challenger. You don't really expect us to wait around the Gym all day, do you?"

I rubbed the back of my head sheepishly. "I guess not. Are you Gym Leader Whitney, ma'am?"

The woman smiled. Well, more half-smiled, I would say. Her light blue eyes sort-of crinkled up and her lips twitched a little. She had the thickest sandy hair I'd ever seen, which reminded me of when I was little and wanted thick, wavy hair instead of the thin, black rope I got stuck with. Her earrings jangled like little chimes as she nodded, then shook her head. 

"Yes, I am the Goldenrod City Gym Leader," she said dryly. "No, I am not Whitney. Whitney was the old Gym Leader here. She left to start a tour guide business or something of the sort. My name is Hale, Molly Hale."

"Nice you meet you, Molly Hale, ma'am. My name is Roary Ketchum." If there's one thing my father really beat into me, it was how to be polite to adults. So I extended a hand, and Molly shook it, her long cape billowing out behind her. 

"Ketchum, you say?" Molly mused. "I knew a Ketchum once, by the name of Delia."

My jaw dropped. "That's my grandmother!"

"Yes, it figures. Your family are old friends of mine," Molly said, turning back to the doors at the end of the lobby, the ones that led to the inside of the Gym. "But don't think I'll go easy on you, Roary Ketchum."

"You're going to let me have a match with you now?" I asked excitedly. 

"No," Molly replied sharply. "Right now, I have to talk with a young man by the name of Shane Rising. Shane, is that you back there? Come over here where I can see you."

Shane stepped forward briskly, clutching Gauntal's leash in one hand. Molly bent down to pat the Umbreon's head, smiling a very real smile this time around. She really liked Pokémon, that much was for sure. "Clair wanted to know how you were getting along these days," Molly informed Shane, giving Gauntal a good rub under the chin.

"I'm doing fine, Ms. Hale," Shane replied. "Gauntal and I take care of one another quite well, you know."

"I'm sure you do. Good boy, Gauntal. Good boy." Giving the Umbreon one final pat on the head, she straightened and brushed off her clothes. "Alisha will show you to the back," Molly told Shane and Gauntal, putting a hand on the redheaded girl's shoulder. "Make it quick, won't you, Alisha?"

"Yes, Ms. Hale," the girl answered promptly. "This way, please," she said, taking Shane by the hand and leading him down a side hall. And he didn't even seem to mind.

I blushed angrily and started to follow, but Molly held up a hand. "Where do you think you're going, Roary Ketchum?" she said. "Do you want your Gym match or don't you?" 

"Now?" I asked disbelievingly. "Really, you mean it? But I didn't schedule a match! Can you really squeeze me in now?"

Molly dished out another half-smile. "I'm supposed to be on a coffee break right now, so you'd better not tell Alisha about this. She's a stickler for the rules."

"Alright!" I whooped, high-fiving Picassy. "Watch out Johto League Championships, Roary Ketchum's on her way!"

* * *

"This match will be a single-sided 'recall match'," announced the referee who stood at the front of the Goldenrod stadium. "The challenger, Roary Ketchum, may use up to three Pokémon. The Gym Leader, Molly Hale, will also use three Pokémon. If the Gym Leader's Pokémon faints _or_ defeats the challenger's Pokémon, the Gym Leader must recall that Pokémon. Let the match begin!" 

I stared at Molly Hale disbelievingly. "I thought you weren't going to go easy on me!" I shouted. "But a recall match gives me a huge advantage over you!"

Molly pulled a PokéCap and smirked. "Trust me, it won't. Go, Precious!" And with an elaborate twist, she lobbed the Cap onto the battlefield, letting loose a huge bearlike Pokémon. It roared loudly, sending my ponytail flying straight out behind me in a gust of wind. 

From its place in the bleachers behind me, Bryar yawned. "An Ursaring, big deal," the Meganium commented. "And what kind of Gym Leader calls her Pokémon Precious?!"

Rummaging through my pack, I quickly selected a PokéBall. "Well, if Ursaring's your choice, then I'm using…Jigglypuff!"

With a flash of red light, the PokéBall popped open, releasing my pink balloon Pokémon into the battle. 

"A Jigglypuff?" Molly's eyes were collected and calculating. "I'll give you first move, Roary Ketchum. Let's see how you hold up."

I nodded. "Right! Jigglypuff, Rollout!"

Molly's Ursaring didn't even flinch as Jigglypuff came hurtling its way, curled into a tight ball. "Knock that Jigglypuff off course with Slash, Precious!" its trainer called out. Precious obeyed with a swipe of its huge clawed paw, missing Jigglypuff by inches.

"That was pathetic!" Bryar called from the stands. "You missed by a landslide! Go Aurora! Whoo-hoo! You can do it, girl!"

I glanced over at Bryar in surprise. "You're actually rooting for _me_?" I asked, hardly believing my ears.

The Meganium shrugged. "It was either you or Precious. Now hurry up and beat that thing so we can get outta this place!"

"Unroll and use Disable, Jigglypuff!" I commanded quickly. The burst of speed from the Rollout was just enough to send Jigglypuff rocketing off the bleacher stands and into the air above the stadium. Puffing itself out angrily, Jigglypuff performed an effective Disable attack while still floating in mid-air! The attack's blinding flash was just enough to stun Precious temporarily, giving Jigglypuff a chance to land behind it. 

"You go, Jiggs!" Bryar whooped loudly. "And another devastating attack by Roary Ketchum and her Pokémon leaves the Gym Leader hanging by a thread! This could be the end for Molly Hale and her Precious, folks."

The referee turned to Bryar and shot the Meganium a death look. "Keep the commentary to yourself, if you don't mind!" she snapped irritably. 

I sweated nervously. "She's right, Bryar. Try to tone it down a bit, will you?"

"Whatever you say," Bryar smirked. As soon as my back was turned- "Go and get 'em, Aurora! Defend the honor of Pallet Town! No pressure, of course."

"Now Sing!" I yelled to my Pokémon. "Put your opponent to sleep before it has a chance to attack!"

I heard the first strains of Jigglypuff's song before hurrying to plug my ears. I couldn't fall asleep now, of all times! When I looked up again, the Ursaring was fast asleep, snoring loudly.

"Yes!" I cried triumphantly. "Precious is unable to battle! Jigglypuff wins the round!"

"Jigglypuff!" my Pokémon chimed happily, waving at me with a tiny paw. But then- "Jiggly!" it yelped all-of-a-sudden. 

I gaped, not believing my eyes. The Ursaring, apparently asleep, had somehow managed to roll over, completely flattening my Pokémon!

Molly half-smiled at my shock. "You forgot about Ursaring's Snore attack," she explained evenly. "Remember, Snore lets a Pokémon attack while sleeping. You let your guard down, Roary Ketchum. Better luck next time."

I groaned, caught myself, and set my jaw as I recalled Jigglypuff.

"You can still come through, Aurora!" Bryar hooted from the stands. "The Gym Leader has to recall her Pokémon now, because it just beat yours! You still have a chance of winning if you can beat the next two she sends out!"

"Don't worry about me!" I yelled back. "I know what I'm doing!"

Molly half-smiled again as she recalled Precious and pulled another PokéCap from under her cape. "For my next Pokémon, I select Petra," she said smoothly. I watched expectantly as the ridged, grey PokéCap became a snarling, stomping Donphan, tusks upraised.

"Ooh, a Ground type!" Bryar yelled. "Didn't see that one coming!" 

I faced Molly uneasily. "But Donphan's not a Normal type!" I protested. "I thought the Goldenrod Gym only used Normal types!"

"You thought wrong, Roary Ketchum," Molly Hale replied evenly. "Gym rules are very lax about the types of Pokémon Leaders are and aren't allowed to use. You'll just have to adapt accordingly."

"Fine, then I'm using…" Rummaging through my pockets, I quickly found a PokéBall. "…Vaporeon!"

"In your face, Gym Leader Hale!" Bryar crowed. "That's what you get for trying to bend the rules! Water types easily cream Ground types! Aurora has this one in the bag!"

"Knock it off, Bryar!" I muttered out the side of my mouth. "You're just gonna make her mad at me."

"Conflict is always entertaining to watch," Bryar replied smugly. "You're going down, Molly Hale!" it yelled before I had I chance to stop it.

Ignoring Bryar, I started off the battle. "Vaporeon!" I yelled. "Hydro Pump!"

With a yip of determination, the aquatic Pokémon obeyed. I grinned as the blast of water from Vaporeon's mouth soaked the entire Gym. Vaporeon had learned Hydro Pump only months ago, and I couldn't think of a better time to put it to use!

"Rollout," Molly commanded calmly. I gasped as Petra the Donphan emerged from behind Vaporeon's water blast, curled into a tight ball and launching itself into an outer circuit of the arena floor. It feinted a lunge at Vaporeon before slamming my Pokémon into the ground.

"Quick, Vaporeon!" I yelled. "Donphan can't keep up that Rollout much longer! The ground's way too slippery! Use Mist, and then finish it off with Quick Attack!"

As a thick cloud of fog began to envelop the entire room, Petra the Donphan lost its orientation completely. It was totally unprepared when Vaporeon jumped out of apparently nowhere, knocking it into the ground.

"Not bad," Molly said calmly, recalling Petra and tucking the PokéCap away. 

"You got that right!" Bryar called loudly. "Way to go, Aurora! That's showing them who the Pokémon master around here is!"

"Great work, Vaporeon!" I shouted happily. Quickly, I steeled myself for Molly's next Pokémon. 

The Gym Leader didn't seem the least bit perturbed. In fact, that familiar half-smile was on her face again, and it made me uncomfortable just looking at it. "You used a type advantage to your benefit," she remarked coolly. "How wise. Now it's my turn to do the same. For my next Pokémon, I choose Lumius."

I gritted my teeth as Molly's newest Pokémon stepped into the arena. Lumius, as it turned out, was an Ampharos, a highly-evolved Electric Pokémon. And everyone knew Electric types had a huge advantage over Water types.

"Last Pokémon, Aurora!" Bryar cried out not so comfortingly. "If you beat that Ampharos, you win the match! No pressure, of course!" 

"Thanks, Bryar," I muttered in exasperation. "Vaporeon, Quick Attack!"

"Thunderpunch," Molly commanded. Vaporeon didn't have a chance. It was out as soon as Lumius' sizzling fist made contact.

Recalling Vaporeon, I quickly realized that none of my Pokémon would be able to beat a powerful Electric type like Ampharos by type advantage alone. That was, except…

"Picassy! I choose you!" I said, plucking the Pichu from my head and setting it down on the ground. "You're an Electric type, just like Lumius. I know you can do this."

"And Ketchum sends in the mini rodent!" Bryar hollered enthusiastically. "No offense, Aurora, but it looks like the baby mousie is gonna get stomped."

"If that's what you think, you're wrong!" I yelled back. "Picassy, use Thunderwave!"

"You too, Lumius!" Molly instructed her Pokémon. 

I watched, fingers crossed, as the two Thunderwaves sped through the air and met, sizzling and crackling with energy. 

And then the ceiling exploded. 

* * *

Notes:

Molly Hale is the little girl in the third Pokémon movie. She wanted to be a Gym Leader; here, she got her wish, but is a far cry from the sweet, naïve five year-old in the movie. My justification is that she had to grow up some time or another.


	8. Lody: Walking With the Wind

Star in the Storm, Chapter 7

Lody- "Walking With the Wind"

* * *

"Ketchup!" Pika cried joyously early the next morning. "You brought ketchup!" Eagerly, it grabbed the bottle in both paws and began to chug it down. 

Amulet and I looked on incredulously. Smiling to herself, Amulet delicately nibbled away the last of her breakfast and licked the crumbs from her paws. "We'd best get moving soon," she said, gazing straight ahead at the cliff face that dominated the distant end of the gorge. "The gates to Charicific Valley are up there. Pika should be able to get us in, right Pika?"

"Hmm? Oh, sure." Consuming the rest of the bottle, Pika put it aside and washed its face and paws in the stream. "Let's go."

Side by side, the three of us made our way to the gates. Clearing its throat, Pika scurried up the stone staircase and knocked briskly on the tall doors, which were carved right into the face of the cliff.

With a creaking moan, the gates slid open the tiniest fraction of an inch.

"Please state your name and mission," a voice instructed briskly. 

Pika stood on its tiptoes to peer through the crack. "Hello," it said in an amiable manner. "I'm Pika, and these are my friends, Lody and Amulet. We've come to visit a friend, a Charmander called Charm."

"Charm will be glad to see you," a muffled voice said from the other side of the door. Come in, and welcome to Charicific Valley!"

With the sound of crunching rock, the gates slid all the way back, revealing a lone Charmander standing behind them. Sporting a red armband tied around each arm, the Charmander's flame burned with an intense blue-white fire. Its darkish gray eyes seemed equally smoldering, a strange color for a Pokémon of its species. 

"I'm Trilody Chimera," I said, kneeling and extending a hand. "Do I have the pleasure of addressing Charm?"

The Charmander took my hand briefly, but shook its head. "No, I'm not Charm," it corrected lightly. "Charm will be here in a moment."

Pika was already ahead of the young Charmander, and as it stood there on its haunches, it suddenly waved a paw and called out. "Charm! Over here!"

Whipping my head around, I scrambled to my feet to catch a glimpse of Kayley old Pokémon friend. Appearance-wise, Charm was pretty much your standard Charmander. I quickly noted the thick muscles in Charm's tail, gained after years of battle and practice. Charm wore a faded red bandanna around its neck and its sea-green eyes lit up as it neared us.

"It's nice to see you again, Pika," Charm said warmly, coming up to stand by its Pikachu friend. Turning, it smiled in my direction. "You must be Lody and Amulet."

"Nice meeting you." We shook paws and hands, then Amulet and Charm did so as well.

"This is my nephew, Fireball," Charm said, putting a paw on the younger Charmander's shoulder. "Dragonet's son."

Fireball bowed formally, and the flame on its tail flickered in the proper Charmander greeting.

"It's been a while, hasn't it?" Pika sighed, grinning broadly. "How's Stray been doing?"

Charm smiled and began leading us into the Valley. "Stray's fine," it replied. "But it's been training hard these last few days. All the Charizard have, for the big contest tomorrow. 

Pika's ears perked up in interest. "Contest?"

"That's why the Valley is so empty today. Everyone's off on the other side of the canyon training," Charm confirmed as we started up a steep, winding trail to the top of a jagged plateau. "Charizard and their trainers from all over the different regions will be coming to participate. And everybody at the Valley feels it is their duty to show them that wild Charizard are superior to trained ones." The Charmander shook its head at this, smiling to itself. "No one's exactly sure what the contest will be about," Charm went on. "It's different every time, in accordance with the whims of the judge."

"Is it only Charizard who can enter this contest?" Amulet asked curiously as we neared the top of the plateau.

"Afraid so," Charm responded. "But you're welcome to watch. And if you see anyone suspicious, we'd appreciate it if you report them immediately. We've had some problems with security in the past." It stopped as we came to the top of the plateau, meeting a small log cabin. 

"You can rest here for the day, then come on down to the contest tomorrow," Charm told us. "Let's see, meals are in the old rockyards at 12 and 6, and you're welcome to explore the Valley at whim. Just don't break anything, use spray paint on the rocks, or litter. Thank you and have a nice day."

"I knew you should've been a tourist guide," Pika grinned, scampering down the path with Charm and Fireball. Chattering enthusiastically, the three Pokémon strode back down the side of the plateau, leaving me and Amulet alone at the cabin. 

"Well, at least they're hospitable," Amulet said with a smile. "This Charizard contest sounds rather intriguing; what do you make of it, Lody?" 

I was too preoccupied to answer. Pushing open the door to the cabin, I took a cautious step inside and scanned the room. A thick layer of dust coated the entire inside of the cabin. Cobwebs hung suspended in the corners, and the sole, grime-streaked window must not have been washed in years. At one end of the room was an old television, screen and top also covered with dust. Amulet stepped up beside me as I sneezed, eyes watering.

"I guess the Pokémon don't use this place much," I said, sniffing. "But humans must have lived here, at some time or another." 

Amulet frowned, her lavender brow wrinkling. "I thought there used to be a caretaker of Charicific Valley," the Espeon mused. "A human caretaker, who would handle poachers and such. I wonder what could have happened to them?"

_Maybe the Charizard got angry one day, _I thought darkly to myself. _ Tempers flared, and maybe Flamethrowers as well. _Not voicing my thoughts to Amulet, I set my backpack down on a nearby table and sneezed again. "Let's get out of here," I muttered, putting a hand over my face and edging back out the door. "I need to talk to Charm."

I was already out the door when Amulet's voice came drifting back to me. "About Kayley, right?" she asked softly, stepping lightly through the doorway and turning her head in my direction.

I swerved around so fast that I almost fell. "How…did you…oh, that's right. You're Psychic, aren't you?"

Amulet half-smiled, dark eyes shining. "Those closest to us often forget it," she sighed, sitting back on her haunches and letting her willowy tail sweep the ground. It was an anxious gesture. Amulet was waiting for my explanation. 

I avoided her gaze, and her unspoken question. "Then you understand why I'm doing this."

Amulet shifted uncomfortably, her long ears twitching in the wind. "I would like to believe I do. But I'd like to hear it straight from you, Lody. Please."

"I…I…" I shook my head and shrugged. "I don't know how…"

"You've come this far, Lody," Amulet said gently. "Surely you must know something."

I gulped, knowing I what a brat I'd sound like once my thoughts were voiced. "Oh, fine then! I want to do something important," I blurted out. "Something special, like discovering Kayley's secret."

Amulet didn't laugh. She blinked slowly, her waving tail coming to a still. "Why do you need to be so special, Lody?" she asked finally, in a quiet voice. 

I shook my head again, so hard that my hair went flying into my eyes. "It's not something I can explain," I told her. "Not now."

"Are you sure, Lody?"

I wrung my hands in frustration. I was never one for putting my feelings into words, and Amulet knew that as well as anyone. "Amulet, you're Psychic!" I sighed. "You'd know better than I do." 

"If Psychics knew everything, we'd rule the world," Amulet said ruefully, wringing her paws in perfect imitation of me. "I don't know any more than you do, Lody. How can you expect me to understand what you yourself are trying so hard to grasp?"

Head bowed, I started down the path, not daring to look back.

* * *

I'd have thought trees rare in the hot, dry valley, save for twisted, stunted things that flailed their clawing branches towards the sky. But it didn't take too long to find a leafy giant, its bark scratched through with claw marks. Slumping into the patch of shade it offered, I buried my head in my arms, letting the breeze blow across the back of my sweaty neck.

Howling to itself, the wind rushed past me without a backwards glance, carrying with it faint snatches of a harmonica tune. My head jerked up in recollection, and I stumbled to my feet. 

It was a different tune this time, leisurely and more pensive. Each note sounded like a single star, scintillating dazzlingly in the distance. Listening intently, I swerved around on the ball of my foot before bounding off in one direction. 

The harmonica kept on playing, and I paused to listen again before going on. Before me was a narrow path, weathered into the side of a cliff. Grasping for handholds, I slowly made my way up. My muscles groaned every inch of the way; Phys. Ed. was never my forte. The harmonica grew louder as I climbed, wrapping itself deeper and deeper into the melody of the song. 

Panting and wheezing, I pulled myself over the top and onto a stone ledge. As I lay there to catch my breath, I heard the harmonica break off and felt a gloved hand grab my own, pulling me to my feet. 

"Hi," whoever it was said cheerfully as I slumped against the side of the cliff. "I haven't seen you around here before."

Looking up, I caught a glimpse of a red headband and wild, orangey-gold hair. Harmonica in hand, a boy about my age was standing there with a friendly smile on his face. 

I finally caught my breath and managed to push most of the sweaty hair from my face. "I'm Lody."

"My name's Drake. What are you doing up here, Lody?"

I pointed to the harmonica in his hand. "I heard…"

He looked down and brought the harmonica to his face. "You like my playing?" he grinned. "Or is that too much to hope for?"

I started to reply, but Drake had broken up into laughter. 

"You're the one who led us to the stream last night," I blurted out. "With your harmonica. Oh, um, thank you." I added hastily.

"You're welcome, Lody," Drake replied. "Are you from Pallet Town, by any chance?"

"How did you know?"

He shrugged nonchalantly, raising the harmonica once again. "Lucky guess," he said, and began to play a mellow, unhurried tune. "Recognize this?" he asked eagerly.

I shook my head in confusion, but Drake just smiled again. "It's the Pallet Town theme," he explained casually. "Not familiar at all, is it?"

"No," I confirmed. "What's this about Pallet having a 'theme'?"

"Oh, it's not just Pallet," Drake said quickly. "All the towns have themes. Like Cerulean City…" He launched himself into a jaunty song that moved along fairly quickly. "Or Celadon City…" Next came an even brisker, carefree melody. "Even places can have themes, like Mount Moon." Last of all was a slow, mysterious song that seemed to echo off the canyon walls.

"That song you were playing when I came up here," I said hesitantly. "Was it a town 'theme,' too?"

Drake's dark brown eyes sparkled against his heavily tanned face as he brought the harmonica up and began to play the same shimmering song as before. After just a few strains, he broke off, letting the song fade into the wind. "This one's my favorite," he told me. "It's not a town theme; it's about walking with the wind and figuring out where you're headed to. Oh sure, go ahead and laugh," he said suddenly, noting the perplexed look on my face. "I won't mind."

"I wasn't going to laugh," I said, putting on my usual deadpan expression to mask my confusion, as well as an unexpected curiosity. "What are the words?"

Drake's look was skeptical. "You really want to know?" The expression on my face was enough to make his own split into a broad smile. "I only know a few," he admitted. "Here's what I remember…"

"You've been walking on, so long,

Do you know where you're going to?

The wind blows about and comes to ask you,

And you must stop to think.

The roll of a drum has begun to sound.

It is the start, the start of your life.

But what are you seeking now? 

Small hands open, palms-up towards

Grasping for the future that is ahead.

Have you discovered it already then?

Do you now finally see the light of day?

You're not who you think you are. 

Once again, your years have grown.

You left home for this journey long ago.

Seeking something, even now.

A bright gaze sparkles, big eyes shine.

Waiting for the future that is ahead.

Reach deep within and hold on, hold on.

You known it so long, at least in your heart.

You're not who you think you are.

Many meetings pass you by,

Many partings fly before your eyes,

They seem so unreal, but there're there

To buoy you up in your dreams. 

You've been walking on, so long,

Do you know where you're going to?

The wind blows about and comes to ask you,

And you raise your face to the sky. 

You've been walking on, so long,

Do you know where you're going to?

The wind blows about, comes to join you,

Walk together with the wind.

Step firm on the road, march on.

Keep it strong and keep holding on,

Keep going on until you finally catch

The dream that you're aiming for."

The boy's voice faded into the wind as another one broke through.

"Lody, Lody where are you!" a voice was calling from the foot of the cliff. "It's nearly lunchtime!"

"I'll be going now," I said to Drake, making my way down the cliff. "Thanks, um…thanks for sharing that song with me."

The boy nodded, then brought the harmonica to his mouth once more. Even as I jumped off at the bottom of the cliff, the same song was still floating through the sky, carried on the back of the valley wind.

* * *

_ The next morning, day of the Charicific Valley Competition…_

The first things I felt when I awoke were little claws, digging into my skin and jostling me back and forth. Yelping, I sprang halfway out of my sleeping bag, tangling myself in hopelessly in its folds. 

"Did I startle you?" Pika asked anxiously, going over to wake Amulet as well. "We have to hurry if we want good seats for the contest this morning."

I swiped at my eyes and yawned. "Pika, it's still dark outside. Can't I sleep just five more minutes?"

"Sleeping five more minutes? What's the use one way or another?" Pika grinned. "Come on, Lody! Don't want to sleep away five perfectly good minutes! There's things to do, places to go, and the morning air is so refreshing!"

_I hate morning people, _I thought groggily as I climbed out and starting packing my things. Amulet was beside me in a moment, helping me to roll up my sleeping bag.

"As soon as you're done," Pika said, "I'm sure Charm will be here to take us over to the other side of the canyons, where the contest is taking place. Ah, here Charm is now!" 

Dashing down the plateau and waving wildly, the enthusiastic Pikachu caught its toe on a rock. Hollering loudly, it slid the rest of the way down on its back, ending up in a daze at Charm and Fireball's feet.

Charm smiled, then helped the Pikachu to its feet. "Well, someone's ready," it said, raising its head as Amulet and I hastily ran down the path. "Everyone here? Good, let's go." 

Running forward, Charm waved its paws to the sky and called out in Charicific. The cry echoed across the valley walls, and if I listened had intently, I might have been able to make out some of it. Mother's always been after me to learn the PokéDialects, but I've never had the knack for languages that came so easily to her. Eonic, the PokéDialect of Eevee and its forms, is definitely my strongest one, thanks to Amulet. Anything other than that and I'm lost.

Soon after Charm, an answering cry rippled through the canyon. But this was no Charmander. Setting the grass undulating in the rush of wind it created, a huge, dragon-like Pokémon dove down from the skies, swooping over to land a few feet in front of Charm. The force of impact jolted the ground, but Charm didn't even seem to notice. 

It spoke to the dragon Pokémon, a Charizard, several moments in Charicific, and the Charizard responded with several deep, throaty growls.

"Stray says, 'What are you waiting for?'" Charm translated quickly, for my benefit alone, I knew. "And it's glad to see you again, too, Pika-c."

"Picassy? Here?" Amulet and I looked around confusedly. 

Pika laughed. "Not Picassy, Pika-c," it corrected. "That was Stray's nickname for me way back when. Stray had nicknames for everybody, didn't you?" It launched into rapid-fire Fulgent Rodentia, the Pikachu PokéDialect. Stray the Charizard replied with an enormous rumbling roar, which I realized was merely a deep belly laugh.

"Everybody on!" Pika cried, leaping onto Stray's back and climbing atop the Charizard's head with Charm. Amulet and I followed, along with young Fireball, as Stray lowered one wing and allowed us to use it as a ramp of sorts.

Charm and Pika began the countdown, Charm in Charicific, Pika in plain Human.

"10, 9, 8…" the Pikachu chanted.

Amulet hid her face beneath one paw, and hung onto me for dear life with the other. "I think I'm going to be airsick again," she moaned. 

"…3, 2, 1! Take-off!"

With a mighty roar, Stray launched itself into the sky. The beating of its wings seemed strong enough to tear apart the clouds we passed.

Once again, Pika, Charm, and Stray were engaged in a lively conversation up front. Amulet's ears perked up and she smiled knowingly to herself. "Pika's telling Stray that its flying has sure improved a lot since it last gave them a ride," Amulet told me. "And now Stray is…oh, dear. Well, if you ever want to take a course in Charicific swearing, Stray's your teacher. Does that Charizard always use such…colorful language?" Amulet asked Fireball curiously. 

Fireball shrugged, and the blue-white flame on its tail flickered, just for an instant. "I wouldn't know," the Charmander replied curtly. "I don't understand a word they're saying."

Amulet fell silent after that, not even bothering to translate the other Pokémon's conversation. Inexplicable as it was, a Charmander not knowing its own PokéDialect, it was not impossible, I mused to myself. As a small child raised by Venusaur and Bulbasaur, my mother had known not a bit of Human, but was fluent in several PokéDialects, including Saurian (language of the Bulbasaur and related forms). 

But even then, most Pokémon knew several PokéDialects, including their own. Why did Fireball, a Charmander who seemed to have been raised with its own kind, know Human, but not Charicific? My hidden bafflement might have kept me silent for the remainder of the trip. However, I decided it was time to turn my attentions to the purpose at hand, the one for which I had originally come. 

Inching my way along Stray's back, I shifted so that I straddled the base of the Charizard's neck, putting me in direct line with Charm.

"Charm?" I called. "Can I talk to you for a sec?"

Bandanna waving like scarlet flag in the wind, Charm nodded for me to go on.

Taking a deep breath, and coughing as the frigid breeze struck me in the lungs, I propounded my first question. "Who was Kayley Mindstar?"

"Kayley was my trainer some twenty years ago," Charm responded, shifting so that its tail flame did not flicker so much in the wind. "Though she never told anyone her true hometown, Kayley took part in Pallet Town trainer's program, the one Pika tells me your friend Roary is in now."

I made a sullen face. Why was everyone under the misleading impression Roary Ketchum and I were friends? 

"That's where I met her, in fact," Charm continued. "I was Kayley's official Pallet Pokémon!" It smiled at me, sea green eyes making even the brightness of the clear blue sky seem faded by comparison.

I tried to smile in return, but the expression seemed forced and unnatural on my face. "Do you know how Kayley and my parents met, Charm?" I asked now.

Charm's eyes shone and it nodded eagerly. "Those three were regular traveling companions for many years," it sighed nostalgically. "Both decided to join Kayley on her Pokémon journey, and both had their own reasons. Kayley was one of your typical PokéMaster wannabes, always after this badge or that trophy." Charm's voice grew softer and more hesitant as it continued. "She was quite good; Kayley could have made it to the top if…well, never mind that. There are too many ifs in this world already."

For a moment, I thought of challenging Charm. _If? _I wanted to ask. _If what?_ But the sorrowful look on Charm's face was more than enough to make me drop the topic. 

"What's a Keeper?" I said suddenly, remembering something I had heard before.

Charm's eyes flashed, and for just the slightest instant, I thought I saw the flame on its tail go out completely. But in the twinkling of an eye, Charm's face was smooth and its tail was dancing merrily. "That I cannot tell you," Charm replied in a soft, but firm voice. 

"Then tell me the sacrifice Kayley made when she was twelve years old, like me. The one that left her in the body of a Pokémon."

"There are some things in this world that you'd be better off not knowing, Trilody," Charm said, with just the barest edge forming in its voice. "If you were to know such things as these, your parents would be more than happy to tell you."

_My parents, _I thought tetchily. Did all the burdens of the world lay upon their shoulders? In their eyes, I was only bound to be one more. One more person to hide the secret of Kayley Mindstar from.

"Thanks for your time, Charm," I said at last. "I appreciated it."

"Glad I could help!" the Charmander answered readily, flashing me a thumbs-up sign. "Talk to me anytime, okay, Lody?"

"Okay." I was already starting back to where Amulet and Fireball were riding, remaining silent for the reminder of the trip.

If Charm wouldn't tell, who was there left to turn to? Then my trip to Charicific Valley was all for nothing. 

_My Pokémon journey is over before I even started it, _I thought ruefully. I could always go on a badge-collecting spree, like any good orthodox trainer, but even the notion of such felt heavy and burdensome. 

_There're many reasons to go on a Pokémon journey, _Shane's words echoed in my mind. I was forced to fully accept what I had struggled so hard to tell Amulet: the quest to uncover Kayley's secret had never really rung as my sole motive. 

_Now that your shield is gone, _ some part within me taunted. _Now that your lame excuse had withered away to nothing, why don't you just give up and go home, little girl? Go home and cry your tears out to your daddy and his pet student, as they knew you would. You want to shine, Lody? How many times have you told yourself it's a ridiculous goal? And yet you still believe you can do it! Stop fooling yourself, and go home before it's too late to jerk yourself out of these foolish fantasies._

But while one part of me continued to pelt my brain with bitterness, I pursed my lips and mouthed the silent words.

_No. Not yet._

_I still want to believe._

As we dismounted Stray, a surprisingly familiar voice called out towards us.

"Pika, Charm! I should have expected to see you here!" Striding over from where she was talking to several elderly Charizard in flawless Charicific, a green-haired, dark-eyed woman smiled to see us. Launching into Charicific again, she introduced herself to Stray. I gaped as the fierce Charizard lowered its gaze and folded its wings politely. 

Then she turned to me. "Hello, Lody," she said, in Human this time. "It's nice to see you again. Though I certainly didn't expect you."

"Neither did, I, Mother," I replied evenly. 

Rowan Chimera's brow furrowed. "And you brought Amulet, too," she noted, reaching down to scratch the Espeon behind the ears. "I don't suppose your father knows about this."

I took a deep breath and nodded firmly. "I'm…I'm starting my own Pokémon journey." The words hung heavily in the air above my mouth.

"That's nice, Lody," my mother answered, standing up to put an arm around my shoulder. "You're probably wondering what your old mom's doing here by now, aren't you?"

I squirmed, and my mother laughed at my embarrassment. "Okay, Lody, fine," she said, taking her arm away. "I love you, too. The contest official hired me to help with the judging, so that should give you a big clue as to what the first contest is about." She winked at Stray, who stopped preening its wings to look up curiously.

"First contest?" Amulet said. "There's more than one contest?"

My mother nodded. "At least two or three, usually," she informed us in a whisper. "The Charizard with the highest combined ranking will win the overall competition, and a year supply of Brock Slate's Super Deluxe Flame Pokémon Food, the leading breeder's brand."

Letting loose a burst of flame into the sky above, Stray bellowed out a deafening battle cry and beat its paws upon its chest. We clapped in approval.

"Of course you'll win," Charm grinned. "As long as you can beat…you-know-who, it's almost guaranteed."

"Would you-know-who mean…that one?" Pika asked, pointing to a gigantic Charizard who was swooping past only several yards away. A long battle scar marked one of its eyes, and as it scanned the new arrivals, its gaze was cool and collected.

Charm nodded. "Ashenscar, the long-time leader of Charicific Valley," it told us in an awed whisper. "The Charizard who dominated the last competition."

Stray shuffled its feet sheepishly and blew out a faint ring of smoke from its nostrils. 

"Whereas Stray didn't even finish the last contest, the obstacle course," Charm translated glumly. "It got…um…stuck in a pipe."

"Stuck in a pipe?" Pika echoed disbelievingly. "Why, Stray, you of all Charizard should have experience with getting out of a pipe! Remember rehearsal for my vacation movie?" It put up a paw just in time to stifle its giggles. "We had to use butter for the final filming," Pika choked out between snorts. "Which just goes to show teamwork is not all-powerful."

Snarling ferociously, Stray shot Pika the death-glare and blasted a stream of flame into the air. Stomping about furiously, it proceeded to shoot flame in all directions, almost singeing a nearby trainer, who started yelling angry curses. 

"'Pipes aren't gonna stop me this time!'" Charm translated quickly. "'Someone's gotta take that Ashenscar down a peg or two, and it might as well be me!' That's the spirit, Stray! Go out there and be the very best you can be! Whoa! Watch the flame!" it yelped as Stray's fire burnt the top off a fake palm tree. 

"Attention, attention!" came a fuzzy voice over the intercom system. "Would all individuals participating in the first judging please report to Area 1 at this moment?"

"That's me," my mom said, giving my hand a quick squeeze before taking off. "Good luck to everybody!" In an instant, she was gone.

"Nervous, Stray?" Charm asked its friend.

The Charizard shook its head firmly and shot another blast of flame into the air to prove its point. Grinning, Charm gave it the thumbs-up sign. "The rest of us will go and get seats," it told Stray. "Good luck!"

"You can do it!" Pika called as we started away towards the bleacher stands.

"Yes, do your best!" Amulet agreed. "We'll all be cheering for you!"

Settling into the stands, Amulet on one side and Pika on the other, I looked down upon the arena. A work crew was rigging some sort of stage in the middle of it, complete with a microphone and broadcast system. For the announcers, I supposed.

"Anyone want popcorn?" Pika asked around. "I thought I saw them selling popcorn down there."

Reaching into the little sac she always wore by her side, Amulet handed the Pikachu some money and ushered it down the aisle. "I think there's enough for drinks, too," she said. "Hurry back so you don't miss the beginning of the contest!" 

Pika nodded and set off and full speed to the refreshment stands.

"Attention, ladies and gentlemen, trainers and Charizard!" came the same fuzzy voice over the intercom. "The 21st annual International Charizard Competition is about to begin. As the official judge of the Competition and caretaker of Charicific Valley…"

I sat bolt upright in my seat. "So there is a caretaker of Charicific Valley?"

"…I would like to welcome Rowan Chimera and Baskcoals Ch-ard'Za as the two judges of our first contest."

The crowd cheered as an elderly Charizard and my mother stepped into the arena and waved. Taking their places in reserved seats at the side of the stage, both waited patiently for the announcer to go on. 

"The first contest in the Competition will be a musical contest! Each contestant must perform a song, either vocal or instrumental, before the judges. Scoring will be based upon originality, clarity, musical merit, and yes…all performances must have some relation to Pokémon! Extra points will be awarded to the Charizard that sing during their performance…using Human speech!"

The crowd let loose another earthshaking cheer. "So that's why Mother's a judge," I said to Amulet. "She's spent her whole life teaching Pokémon how to speak Human."

Charm smiled. "This should be interesting," it replied. "Many Charizard have been training only for contests involving strength or battling. How they'll take this turning of the tables, I can't wait to find out." 

Fireball said nothing. Turning around, I saw that the young Charmander had disappeared. "Fireball?" I called. "Has anyone seen Fireball?"

"Fireball left a couple minutes back," Charm informed me. "Look, the contest is starting!"

The first contestant, a trained Charizard named…Charizard, of all things, performed a rendition of a well-known Pokémon song.

"I wanna be the very best, like no one ever was!" it roared loudly, to the approval of the crowd. Many people started clapping in time to the music, and stomping on the bleachers as well. I winched; you could hardly hear the music while ignoring the noise as well as trying not to fall of the bleachers.

Anther popular entry was by a certain Charla. With a pink ribbon in her antennae, the female Charizard presented a flawless performance of the Pokémon World theme.

"We all live in a Pokémon world!" she sang, voice bright and sweet in perfect Human. "I want to be the greatest…" Putting a claw to her ear, she leaned towards the audience.

"Master of them all!" the crowd chanted.

"The greatest master!" Charla came in immediately afterwards, tapping out an accompaniment on a set of homemade wind chimes. 

Soon, it was Stray's turn. The large Charizard looked especially nervous as it shuffled out onto stage, holding a small lyre in its claws. 

"Come on, Stray!" Charm called out, cupping its paws around its mouth. "You can do it!"

"I thought Stray couldn't speak Human," I said worriedly. 

"Stray can't," Charm confirmed. "But it's not going to let that stop it."

Taking a seat in the middle of the stage, Stray began to pluck on a tune on the tiny instrument with its large claws. I leaned forward in my seat, amazed. It was the same exact song Drake had talked about when we'd met, the song about walking with the wind.

Opening its mouth, Stray began to sing. But it wasn't in Human; instead, Stray sang in gruff, rumbling Charicific. The strangeness of its words only added to the striking mood of the performance.

Clasping its paws together, Charm looked on, eyes shining. "I never knew Stray could play any musical instrument," the Charmander said in admiration. "Much less sing."

Ashenscar, the Competition favorite, ended the musical contest with an earth-shattering presentation of the Pokérap, complete with an aerial flame display and hilarious caricatures of each Pokémon. When the smoke finally cleared, much of the audience was on their feet and clapping wildly. 

"That was an impressive turnout!" the voice over the intercom said approvingly. "Now let's see the results of the musical contest!"

The heads of the crowd swerved about in unison as the scoreboard to the far end of the arena lit up. 

3rd place: Ashenscar, Charicific Valley. 

A cheer rippled along the audience, then faded as the scoreboard lit up again.

2nd place: Stray, Charicific Valley.

"Yes!" Charm screamed, pumping a paw into the air. "Stray's in the top three, and ahead of Ashenscar at that! As long as it keeps up this winning streak, the first place honors are in sight!"

1st place: Charla, Trainer Liza. 

"And dark horse Charla takes first place by a landslide!" the announcer declared as the rest of the contestants and their respective scores flashed onto the bottom of the scoreboard screen. "We haven't seen this Charizard in the International Charizard Competition before, but it seems that she'll be putting up an admirable fight!"

The crowd roared noisily, and a brand new round of bleacher stomping ensued.

"The next contest will be an obstacle course!" the intercom announced. "Contestants will have five minutes of intermission as the next contest is set up."

"An obstacle course!" Charm groaned. "They always seem to have one of those, don't they? Poor Stray, it always seems to freeze up on contests like these." The Charmander paused, then looked about anxiously. "I don't hear any giggles, or suppressed comments about the pipe incident," it remarked curiously. "Didn't Pika ever come back from the popcorn stands?"

Looking over my shoulder, I saw that the seat on my left was still empty. "I'd better find Pika before it misses any more of the Competition," I muttered, getting to my feet and making my way down the aisle. Trying not to step on any more toes or bump into any more knees, I squeezed my way into open space at last and trotted down the way we'd come. Amulet was right behind me, looking worried.

"Whatever could be keeping that Pikachu?" she wondered as we hurried towards the refreshment stands. "I don't suppose it could have been mugged for popcorn money!"

A telltale voice just around the corner had me sigh in relief and slow my pace.

"What do you mean you don't have any ketchup?" Pika was saying angrily as Amulet and I approached. 

"Who eats their popcorn with ketchup, seriously?" the middle-aged runner of the popcorn stand snapped irritably, flicking her long reddish hair over her shoulder. Her companion, a blue-haired, green-eyed man of about the same age, was digging through the back of the refreshment stand and shaking his head. 

"We have butter, salt, caramel, cheesy dip, chocolate syrup, and salsa, but I'm afraid there's no ketchup here," he informed Pika. "Maybe you can try the hotdog vendor instead."

The Pikachu shook its head stubbornly. "I paid the money for extra sauce, and I'm gonna get my extra sauce," it stated tightly. "And the extra sauce I want is _ketchup!_"

"Pika?" Amulet said hesitantly, taking a step forward. "The contest's already started. We have to get back now."

"Just a sec, Ami," Pika hissed from its perch atop the counter. "I'm a bit busy right now." Turning back to the popcorn vendors, the Pikachu let them have the full brunt of the blow. "A couple years ago, okay, maybe a couple decades ago, every respectable vendor on the street always had a backup source of ketchup on hand! Popcorn vendors, hot dog vendors, cotton candy vendors, you name it!" it began in a strict, dogmatic tone. "Nowadays, no one ever seems to appreciate the full worth of the miracle food called ketchup! It's tasty, it's nutritious, it sounds like Ketchum…"

Both popcorns vendors dropped what they were doing and stared. "Ketchum?" they echoed in shock.

"Yeah, Ketchum," Pika said impatiently. "What's wrong with the name 'Ketchum'? My trainer's named Ketchum, I'll have you know! Ash Ketchum, a perfectly respectable name that happens to sound like ketchup! So you see…" 

Its words were cut off in mid-sentence as the woman vendor pulled an extra-large popcorn bag over the Pikachu's head, cackling evilly. "We've captured Pikachu at last, James!" she yelled to her companion triumphantly. "Now we'll finally be able to go back to Team Rocket without shame!"

"You're right, Jessie!" the blue-haired man cried.

"Team Rocket?" I repeated confusedly. "What's Team Rocket?"

The woman, Jessie, stared at me in open-mouthed shock. "You mean you've never heard of Team Rocket before?" she demanded disbelievingly.

"Well, no. Should I have?"

"It doesn't seem familiar just a teensy, weensy bit?" Jessie's male companion asked desperately.

"Not a bit," I admitted. "Sorry about this."

Jessie drew herself up to her full height, towering high above me. "You should be, young lady," she sniffed, tossing her long, long hair over her shoulder dramatically. "Young people today, so ignorant of the past."

I shrugged. "I guess I'm sorry about that, too," I temporized slowly. "But what I meant before was…I'm sorry about _this!_" Motioning to Amulet, who was pulling a choking, sputtering Pika out of the popcorn bag and onto her back, I broke loose and ran for all I was worth. 

Which wasn't much, apparently. As the two "popcorn vendors" sped after us with shouts of "Come back here, you twerp!" I tripped over a protruding rock edge and went sprawling onto the ground. 

"Lody!" Amulet and Pika yelled, skidding to a stop. "Are you okay?"

I stumbled up, and fell again, wincing at the pain in my ankle. I wasn't going anywhere soon, that was for certain. 

"Go!" I yelled to Amulet. "Get Pika out of here! I can take care of myself!" Digging a hand into my pocket, I reached for a PokéCap, any PokéCap.

A sudden blast jolted the air above me, and bits and pieces of something rough and thick were raining around me, smelling acrid with smoke. I put my arms over my head and squeezed my eyes shut, waiting for the worst.

* * *

**Notes:**

The song Drake recites from is known as "Together With the Wind" or simply "With Wind." It was originally meant as the Mewtwo Strikes Back ending theme in Japan, but I think it kind of describes how Lody's feeling right now, too. I took a lot of poetic license with my translation in order to make the words fit with the original tune. It's a very pretty song, and I really like it.

Town themes, for anyone who plays the Pokémon game, are basically the tunes your GameBoy® plays when you enter different cities.


	9. Roary: Team Rocket's Big Comeback

Star in the Storm, Chapter 8

Roary- "Team Rocket's Big Comeback"

* * *

Did I leave you hanging off a cliff the last time I signed off? Well, I guess that's why they call 'em cliff hangers. 

Anyways, back to the story.

Bits of debris were flying in every direction. One particularly large chunk of ceiling landed right smack dab in between Picassy and Lumius, breaking off the Thunderwaves completely. Picassy yelped as a shard of something big and sharp hit it in the side, sending it skidding into the wall.

"Picassy!" I yelled, running after my Pichu and holding up an arm to fend off falling pieces of plaster and cement. A chunk of ceiling directly in my path sent me spinning for a fall, but I pulled myself back up and kept running. 

"Evacuate the premises immediately!" someone was yelling over my head. "Repeat, evacuate the premises immediately!" 

As I swung out an arm and scooped up Picassy, cold vine whips landed on my shoulders and hoisted me out the emergency exit and onto the sidewalk outside. Gasping in exertion, I fell onto my knees outside the Gym doors, clutching Picassy in my arms.

"You could have just _recalled_ your Pokémon, Aurora," an acrid voice snapped above my head. Bryar was standing there, golden eyes flashing with disgust. "Seriously, girl, do you have a death wish, or are you just stupid?"

"Bryar," I wheezed out as I staggered to my feet. "You saved my life! And Picassy's too!"

The Meganium sniffed. "Don't mention it," it informed me tartly. "I mean it, Aurora. Don't you ever dare."

Shouting broke out as one last figure emerged from the Gym exit behind us. It was Gym Leader Molly Hale, her long cape billowing out behind her. Then there was a huge crash as the whole domed ceiling of the Gym simply caved in, sending up a cloud of dust and debris.

When the cloud finally cleared, a black and silver ship was visible above the wreckage of the Goldenrod Gym. Atop the ship were two figures, dressed in black, each holding the hands of a kid behind their back. 

One of the kids was a fair-haired girl of no more than ten or eleven, one that I had never seen before in my entire life. She wore the uniform of a Goldenrod Gym Junior Trainer, and at the moment, was cowering all terrified in the shadow of her captor. 

The other kid was Shane, face twisted in anger. Gauntal had been muzzled and chained a few feet away and was snarling viciously, unable to protect its trainer.

"People of the Goldenrod City!" one of the black figures cried, stepping forward. "Team Rocket has triumphed over the glorious bastion that was once your Gym! Now we hold these two children captive! Surrender to us all your Pokémon or these children will suffer!"

The speaker's black-clad cohort leaned over and whispered in his ear. "On second thought, we'd like to make a modification to our previous statement," the speaker announced. "Surrender to us all your Eevee, or the children will suffer!"

"Not our Eevee!" a little girl beside me wailed, holding onto a handful of PokéCaps. "Kitsune just had puppies the other night! Please don't take them away! Please don't take them away!"

"You can forget about that!" I yelled loudly at the attackers, clenching my fists. "You're not getting any of the Eevee, not a single one! Even if it means I have to fight you myself!"

"Pichu!" Picassy whimpered in agreement, standing up bravely despite its many bruises.

"And she's at it again," Bryar lamented. "You never learn, do you, Aurora?"

The captive Junior Trainer girl cried out and started to sob uncontrollably, turning her face away from the crowd and burying it in her shoulder. Shane yelled something undistinguishable and struggled forward. His captor yanked him back and shoved him to his knees.

"That does it!" I shouted, reaching for a PokéBall. "Teach these crooks a lesson they won't forget, Vaporeon! You too, Jigglypuff!" 

The thug sneered at me and my Pokémon as they emerged, roaring battle cries. (Well, in Jigglypuff's case, it was more squealing than roaring.) "What can one pathetic little girl and her weakling Pokémon do against the might of Neo Team Rocket?" he taunted.

"I don't know anything about any Neo Team Whatever-you-call-it!" I shot right back at them. "I've never even heard of such a thing! What I do know is you're not taking those Eevee and you're not hurting my friends!"

"Heck, Aurora," Bryar mumbled. "Do you even know that girl's name?"

"You're not making this any easier, Bryar."

Someone planted a hand on my shoulder, forcing me to step back. Spinning around, I saw it was Molly Hale, her pale blue eyes blazing. "Let them have what they want!" she declared to all those around her. "Let them take the Pokémon!"

I squirmed out from under her hand. "But, Ms. Hale!" I protested. "You can't just let them storm in, wreck your Gym, and take these Pokémon like that!"

"And I can't let them hurt those children," Molly finished for me. "We have to make sacrifices sometimes, Roary Ketchum. Sometimes it is wisest to stand down and take a blow or two. If you don't know that now, rest assured, you'll learn it soon." Without another word, she turned her back to me and started away, her long cape swirling about as she walked.

I gritted my teeth angrily as the Eevee owners began to form a long line, holding their PokéBalls and PokéCaps before them dejectedly. "She's wrong!" I insisted. "I know she's wrong! There's no way we can stand back and let them take those Pokémon! It's not right for them to win like this!"

Bryar's antennae drooped. "You think things always turn out right, Aurora?" it asked me in a sad voice, with none of its customary acid. "You think you can make them so that they always work out that way?"

"I can try, Bryar! Can't I at least try?" Lunging forward, I prepared to command my Pokémon into battle, but a pair of strong vine whips held me back. "Let me go, Bryar!" I yelled angrily, twisting and writhing. "Let me go!"

"If you think I'm going to let you, and everyone else around us, get themselves killed, you're wrong!" Bryar retorted, reeling me in like a Magikarp on a line. "Just shut up and don't say anything!"

I folded my arms crossly. "Back to your old self, I see."

Bryar smiled grimly. 

As the last sniffing Eevee owner handed the Team Rocket person their PokéCap, a long ramp extended from the ship to the ground where we were standing. With a not-so-gentle push, the black-clad thugs forced their captives down the ramp before closing the ship door. In a rush of wind, they shot into the sky, disappearing above the clouds.

"Shane? Shane, are you alright!" I cried, breaking loose of Bryar's vine whips and dashing forward.

"I'm okay," he replied softly, getting to his feet. "Gauntal?"

With a yip, the Umbreon was at his side, placing its leash in its trainer's hand. Shane let loose a weary smile. 

"I can't believe those Team Pocket-Rocket people!" I stormed. "Who do they think they are, wrecking the Gym and taking all those Eevee! Next time I find 'em, I'll be sure to teach them a lesson!"

Behind me, there was a golden blur, and the next thing I knew, the Junior Trainer who had been held captive moments before was hanging onto Shane's arm and wailing. "I was _so _scared!" she cried, tears leaking out of her eyes like it was the Niagara Falls or something. "I was _so_ sure they were going to hurt us or something horrible like that!"

"Wow," Bryar sighed irritably. "She's even louder than you, Aurora."

"Who're you?" With one wipe, the tears were gone and the girl's eyes were perfectly dry. She was staring at me accusingly, black eyes narrowed in suspicion.

Shane stepped in quickly. "Dissembler, I'd like you to meet my friend Roary Ketchum," he said, taking a step back so the girl could look me in the eye. "Roary, this is Dissembler, a Junior Trainer at the Goldenrod Gym."

The girl, Dissembler, flicked back her golden curls and grinned. "Not a Junior Trainer anymore!" she informed me jovially, her mood shifting in an instant. "I just graduated outta there! Shane's taking me home, right after you guys go to Charicific Valley or whatever."

"Yeah, sorry about the delay, Bryar," Shane said, smiling hesitantly up at the disgruntled Meganium. "I just got the news Dissembler was ready to go, so I thought we'd make a small detour and pick her up. Dissembler and I go back a long way; we were classmates together at Pokémon U."

"The Pokémon University?" I gawked. The way Dissembler swung from weepy to suspicious to all happy and friendly in less than a minute was dizzying enough. Now discovering that the eleven year-old was just as much a genius as Shane, I thought I felt a serious migraine coming on.

"I flunked out, though," Dissembler admitted sheepishly. "Shane here's the real smart one." She giggled at the memory. "He was always doing my homework for me."

I nodded, then shoved my jaw back into its original socket. "It'll be great having you along, I'm sure," I told Dissembler in a friendly voice. "There's just one thing left that I have to take care of before we leave."

Scanning the crowd, I quickly spotted Molly Hale's shimmering blue cape. Holding Picassy in my arms, I walked towards her, jaw set.

"…not sure of the exact losses at the moment," a Goldenrod Gym official was saying to the Gym Leader. "The Gym will take millions to fix, if not rebuild. We were lucky no one was hurt."

Molly nodded wearily. "The Eevee then, how many did we lose?"

"Still counting. It's the strangest thing, though. Apparently, they didn't just take Eevee; Victoria says that someone emptied out the milk larder, the milk larder of all things, right before the attack. Though what they could want with all that milk, I don't know; maybe it's for the Pokémon they…"

There was a tickling in the back of my throat, and I sneezed before I was able to stop myself, cutting off the speaker in mid-sentence. 

"So it's you again, Roary Ketchum," Molly sighed in annoyance, swerving about and staring me in the eye before I had a chance to speak. "I suppose you'd like to finish your Gym Match now, isn't that right?" 

I nodded mutely.

Molly sighed again, straightening herself to her full height. Digging into a special pouch beneath her cape, she withdrew a small, silvery badge and held it out in my direction. "Here," she said. "Your Plain Badge. Go ahead and take it. I don't have time for a battle right now."

Shaking my head, I ignored the badge and stared her straight back in the eye. "I can't take that badge, ma'am, and you know it," I told her stonily. "I never won that Pokémon battle back there, and I never earned that badge. So you might as well take it back."

"My Gym has just been destroyed, have you not realized that?" Molly demanded incredulously. "How do you expect me to battle after what has just happened?"

I inhaled slowly, then bowed my head. "I'm sorry," I said finally. "I didn't think." Head still lowered, I changed direction and headed back the way I'd come, towards where Shane, Bryar, and Dissembler were waiting for me.

"Roary, wait!" Lifting my head, I caught a glimpse of sandy hair and a streaming blue cape. In the bat of an eyelid, Molly Hale was standing next to me, and she was smiling openly. "Here, Roary Ketchum," she said, opening a closed fist to reveal a golden bit of sparkling stone, shaped like a circle with a spiral in its middle. "If you won't take my Plain Badge, you might as well take this."

Gazing down at the glittering gold, I picked it up curiously. "What is it?" I asked, holding it up to the light and watching it glitter.

Molly's reply was low, almost in respect. "You hold in your hands, Roary Ketchum, the world's sole Goldenglow Emblem," she said reverently. "I have held onto it for some time now, but perhaps you can make better use of it than I."

"Pi, pi!" Picassy crooned, pawing at the light rays that streamed down, reflected off of the object's shimmering surface.

"It looks like some sort of badge, one made out of stone of something. Like, you know how the Orange Islands have seashells for badges?" I turned to my companions for help. "But I don't get it. What's it for –do I get to enter some sort of League or something?"

Molly's eyes clouded; she closed them briefly before turning them away. "That you must figure out on your own," she informed me cryptically. "For even I do not know. There are six Emblems you must find before their true purpose becomes clear. Good luck to you, Roary Ketchum, and may your travels reward you." And with a dramatic swish of her cape, she was gone, making her way through the crowd to talk with the police officials who had just arrived.

Bryar eyed the Goldenglow Emblem critically. "If you ask me, for the world's sole doohickey, it looks an awful lot like a bit of aluminum foil. Or maybe a small bottlecap. Seriously, Molly Hale could have put a bit more effort into the whole mystic riddle of the bottlecap thing."

"Bryar, please! You're ruining my moment here!" Placing the Goldenglow Emblem carefully in my pocket, I turned to my friends and grinned. "Well, what are we waiting for?" I said. "On to Charicific Valley!"

* * *

_ The next day...._

It turned out that Charicific Valley wasn't actually too far from Goldenrod City, though we decided to stay in Goldenrod and stock up on supplies before setting out the next morning. Bryar balked a little when it realized Dissembler was going to have to ride in the balloon with us (it was already pretty crowded), but the girl just smiled and brought out a well-trained Skarmory. Ska-Ska, she assured us, would be happy to carry her the rest of the way to the Valley. Eyeing the bulky pack Dissembler carried upon her back, I had my doubts, but little Ska-Ska took easily to the challenge.

But once we were over the Charicific canyons, Shane ordered an abrupt halt.

"What's the matter up there?" Bryar demanded, shaking a vine whip at Shane and his Dragonite. "Why aren't we moving? Charicific Valley is right below us, in case you didn't realize!"

"I hear something," Shane said, cocking his head to the side in concentration. "Something big. And it's coming from the other side of the canyon."

"I'll go check it out!" Dissembler volunteered, veering around the side of the Valley on her Skarmory. "Yee-hah! Let's go, Ska-Ska!"

"Skah mor!" her Pokémon cawed, flapping its metallic wings to a silvery blur. In a blinding flash of sunlight, they were off. 

"Dissembler, wait!" Shane cried, spurring Ragnarok into movement once more. "Get back here!" But the girl and her Skarmory had already disappeared. 

"She's even more impulsive than you, Aurora," Bryar chortled, slapping me one on the back. "Looks like you've got competition!"

_For more things than one, _I thought jealously as Shane's head twisted about in all directions. "She's crazy, going off on her own like that," he muttered to Gauntal. "If she gets hurt…Ragnarok, go find Dissembler!" he shouted finally, digging his heels into the Dragonite's side. With another wild lurch, we were off, and Bryar was complaining loudly.

"You'd think he'd save some consideration for someone besides that scrawny, curly-haired, unruly little…oomph!" Bryar crashed into the side of the balloon, flattening both me and Picassy against it. "If I ever make it out alive, I am never setting paw into this balloon again!" it declared noisily to no one in particular. 

Picassy yelped as the cable connecting the balloon to Shane's Dragonite snapped from the strain. Shane didn't even notice as the cable fell away, and continued to speed his Dragonite onward. The charge sent the balloon whipping to the side, knocking out the burner as well.

"If that cable just snapped and the burner just went out…"I started, "then what's holding us up?"

Bryar slammed its head against the basket and groaned. "We're gonna die!"

The balloon basket landed with a jaw-jolting bump and crashed, tipping me, Bryar, and Picassy onto the ground. I winced as the hot air balloon rolled across the rock-littered ground and exploded, sending bits of canvas raining all over the ground. Dad was going to kill me once he found out I'd broken his balloon.

"Of all the nerve…"Bryar fumed, but I held up a hand. A few feet away, Lody Chimera was sprawled on the ground, holding her arms over her head as if to fend off an attacker. In the distance, I glimpsed two people dressed in popcorn vendor suits, turning around and high-tailing it out of sight.

"Hey? You okay, Chimera?" I said tentatively, putting a hand on Lody's shoulder. The other girl jerked away, then peeked through her fingers and saw me.

"Roary?" she moaned, pulling herself onto her one good leg, "What are you doing here? Oh, please!" she cried as I held out an arm to help her up. "I can take care of myself, you know!"

I snorted. "You haven't changed a bit, Chimera. A stubborner person I've yet to meet."

"You haven't changed either, Roary," Lody retorted, bitter as ever. "I asked you once; what are you doing here?"

"Lody? Lody!" We spun around; Amulet, Lody's Espeon, and a Pikachu I took to be Pika, were coming up the ridge. Close behind was a police squadron led by an officer who, as she came, called to Lody.

"Are you alright, miss?" the police officer asked, scanning the surrounding area. "Your friends reported sightings of Team Rocket in the area. Have any clue where they might have gone?"

Lody grimaced as she propped herself onto her knees, then pointed in the direction of the popcorn vendors. "Team Rocket's what they called themselves, anyway," she told the police officer, who briskly sent her squadron racing in the direction Lody had pointed to. "I've never heard of Team Rocket before, though."

The officer shrugged. "Most people haven't," she informed Lody. "They were an underground Pokémon thievery organization that reached their zenith about thirty years ago, but have been relatively unheard of since. Very few people even know about Team Rocket nowadays…" She put a finger to her forehead in thought. "Surprising that your attackers didn't know that," she mused. 

"Team Rocket, you said?" I butted in, turning to face Lody. "The people who attacked you were from Team Rocket?"

"That's what they said," Lody confirmed.

Picassy squirmed uneasily on my head. "Pi, pi! Pichu, oo!"

"Shane and I just came from Goldenrod City!" I explained hurriedly. "There's been an attack on the Gym there, by people claiming to be from the same organization! You don't suppose…"

"That Team Rocket has come back? Don't be silly," the officer laughed. "Whatever remnants of the organization remain are far too few and far too scattered to reengage their previous activities. Besides, even if Team Rocket _did _reemerge, they could easily be taken care of again. In fact, they were originally disbanded by a mere boy. A young man by the name of Ketchum broke 'em up some twenty-odd years ago, and they haven't been heard from since." 

"Ketchum?" I echoed.

"That's right. A boy named Ash Ketchum, who later became the youngest Pokémon master in the world. Wiping out Team Rocket certainly looked good on his résumé, I can tell you that!"

Lody's eyes got all sharp and flinty, and I knew she was thinking the same exact thing I was. 

"Ash Ketchum," I said slowly, "is my father. And he never said a word about Team Rocket, wiping them out or otherwise."


	10. (All) Kidnapped!

Star in the Storm, Chapter 9

Kidnapped!

* * *

_At Charicific Valley..._

From his covert position behind the jagged cliff face, Shane heard the officer's laugh and easy assurance. Team Rocket, disbanded by a mere boy, never to reappear again. So unsuspecting, no questions asked; Shane was amazed at how so many people could be so naïve. 

But what bothered him more was how the normally voluble Roary's words were strained and laconic with doubt. Roary would have been the last person he'd guess to have second thoughts. But with Lody -who could even presume what she was thinking? Already he was beginning to have misgivings about his earlier perceptions. 

"What are you daydreaming about now, Shane?" Dissembler asked, pulling on a pair of gloves that snapped tightly over her arms. "Act now, worry later, that's my slogan. The sooner we get this done, the better. All this sun's burning my beautiful complexion."

Shane smiled; he could care less, and Dissembler knew it better than most. But that was Dissembler for you. _"Bouncy golden curls and that innocent cherub's smile belie the fact that the girl's about as much of a pushover as an angry Gyarados,"_ Gauntal had told him more than once. But the things Gauntal said depended solely on its stomach. Shane smiled to remember Dissembler and his voracious Umbreon, each yanking at half a hotdog and both refusing to capitulate to the other.

Bringing himself back the present in a fraction of a second, Shane gave Dissembler the customary TRC salute (hand shaped like a wave, tapped against the forehead three times). "Tell Reb not to rush in again. And don't waste any time reciting that…that motto thing you always do." 

Dissembler sniffed sulkily. "It's a tradition!" she insisted stubbornly. 

"Well, if it wasn't, maybe the Team wouldn't have come to the messy end it met in the first place," he stated with a peremptory tone. "Keep that in mind, Dissembler, and don't do anything funny. Let's go, Gauntal!" With a jerk of the leash, they were off, leaving Dissembler to finish her preparations. 

It wouldn't do to show up immediately, Shane knew as he and Gauntal raced back under cliff's cover. They met the rest of the gang as they were heading back up the ridge, save for the officer, who had gone on. 

"Shane!" Roary cried. He could hear that ponytail of hers as it whizzed by, nearly knocking off his sunglasses. "Are you okay? Where's Dissembler?"

Shane thought quickly. "She's calling her parents, to tell them she'll be coming home earlier than expected." Dissembler's parents were dead. He'd learned to lie long ago, and rarely felt the slightest culpability. 

"That noise she heard," Roary started, apparently unconcerned with Dissembler's exit, "was the sound of a huge Charizard contest going on right here in the Valley! Pika and Amulet have told us all about it…would you like to come and watch?"

Shane smiled readily. "Cool, I'd love to!"

_"Your friend, Trilody, isn't looking so happy to have us around again, _Gauntal sighed, sounding hurt. _"You don't suppose she suspects that we…?"_

Shane shushed the Umbreon quickly. He could just imagine Lody listening intently over her shoulder. The girl knew Eonic, after all, as well as he. No sense in taking risks.

He followed the others' lead into a stand of bleachers. Below, loud roars and grunts were drifting over from the end of the second Charizard contest: the obstacle course, Pika the Pikachu informed him. Shane could smell smoke in the air, as well as some heavy tension.

"How'd Stray do?" Amulet asked Charm in a curious whisper.

"Pppi-pipes!" Pika laughed uproariously, falling out of its seat with a plop. "Sorry, I'm sorry! I didn't mean it, I swear!" 

"There weren't any pipes this time," Charm assured them. "Stray made it through just fine. Oh, look! Here come the rankings now!"

The mass of people around Shane broke into a deafening cheer, and he could feel, very uncomfortably, the vibrating of the bleachers as they were stomped upon.

"Stray's tied with Ashenscar!" Pika whooped triumphantly. "Only one contest left; Stray seriously has a chance here! Go Stray, you can do it!"

With a burst of static, an announcer's voice came over the intercom system. Shane wasn't exactly sure, but whoever it was sounded rather young for the person they claimed to be: the caretaker of Charicific Valley. "Our final contest," the announcer began, pausing to build nascent tension, "will be a rescue-adventure race!" 

There was a mechanical whir as something was lowered to the ground, then a chorus of squealing cries. 

Roary was the first to realize what the cries were from. "They're releasing Eevee into the arena!" she cried in delight. "Cuties!" But then she paused, and Shane knew that she still remembered what had happened at the Goldenrod Gym.

"The Charizard that gathers the most Eevee within a time limit will be the winner!" the announcer declared. "Points will be awarded for number of Eevee and their contentment level! So don't abuse the poor little guys, clear enough?"

The Charizard roared in consensus. 

"Ready, get set…" the announcer chanted.

_Now! _Shane thought fiercely. 

The faint whirring he had detected moments before grew to an earsplitting level. The mass of Eevee squealed as if one, simultaneously with the shocked gasps of the crowd.

A sleek helicopter was hovering above the center of the arena, black and silver in the sun, shining in all its opulent glory. It had been one machine that put a rather large dent in the TRC budget, Shane was pained to recall. And it was about time for Reb to prove its worth.

"It's a _clawed_ helicopter!" Pika said in amazement. "But what are those symbols on its side…TRC? What does that stand for?"

A piercing screech blasted its way over the intercom, and half the crowd stood up in their seats, like some surging wave. With Shane's help, Gauntal hoisted itself onto its hind legs in time to see the door to the commentator's office swing open. A fiery-haired boy was pushed out, stumbling onto the ground outside. 

Shane thought he heard Lody catch her breath. "Drake?" she whispered. "_He's_ the caretaker of Charicific Valley?" But she didn't have much time to muse; with a crackle of static, an irascible feminine voice came over the intercom. 

"Listen up, spectators and Charizard all!" the new speaker commanded harshly. "This is a takeover by the Neo Team Rocket! I repeat, Neo Team Rocket is taking over your Pokémon!"

Shane allowed himself a small bit of relief. The break-in had gone as planned, and Ruki sounded just as intimidating as ever. Now it was up to the rest of the gang to play their parts correctly. 

Roary sprang to her feet, almost tripping over Bryar's tail. "Team Sprocket again!" she was yelling angrily. "Come on, Picassy, we're gonna do something this time!"

"Amulet," Lody said in a soft, yet commanding voice. "Let's go."

Jerking Gauntal back to attention, Shane gritted his teeth as the footsteps of the two girls were lost in the shouts and screams of the crowd. Those two must not be allowed to stymie the attack attempt; it was time to play his part. "Gauntal, can you track them?" he whispered urgently to his guide Pokémon.

_"That's like asking if fish can swim," _the Umbreon scoffed. _"Ready when you are."_

Shane nodded briskly. "Go."

Minutes of being half-dragged, half-carried through a stampeding throng of spectators passed quickly for Shane; soon enough, Gauntal brought the breakneck run to a skidding stop. _"There they are!" _it yelped, tugging its leash forward.

Moments before, a mechanical groan had sounded through the air. Now the enormous metal claws attached to the helicopter would be plunging through the air, grabbing up all the Eevee cowering on the arena. Reb, the copter's pilot, had spent hours agonizing over the design, and now, Shane thought, the time had come to put it to the test.

"Vaporeon, Jigglypuff! You too, Picassy!" Roary was crying. "All together, attack that helicopter and its claws!" 

"Pi?"

"Va-po're?"

"Puff!"

"That's right, I forgot," Roary sweated nervously, recalling her Pokémon reluctantly. "The copter's kind of high, isn't it?" 

Shane wiped his forehead free of sweat in relief. Roary Ketchum, affluent in courage, but not in common sense.

The turmoil out on the middle of the arena was growing thicker. Nearly all the Eevee had been captured by now, but a squadron of Charizard was flying out to meet the TRC helicopter. Metal claws swatted most of them aside, but more determined Charizard just kept on coming and coming.

Lody, however, was taking the situation in stride. "Amulet!" she called out. "Use a Psychic attack on that helicopter!"

Shane could practically feel the skin on the back of his neck tingle in apprehension as the Espeon stepped forward, paws light footfalls on the canyon floor. A well-trained Psychic type like Amulet didn't have to travel in range of the copter's claws to deal serious damage. 

_"What are we gonna do?" _Gauntal yipped desperately as Amulet advanced. _"Wait, I have an idea!"_

"Gauntal!" Shane cried as the Umbreon jerked its leash out of his hand. A split-second later, he heard Lody cry out. Gauntal had slammed straight into Amulet, taking the Espeon down with a Faint Attack.

_ "I'm real sorry about this," _it told Amulet sincerely as it slung her limp body onto its back. Then, yelling_–"Shane, hurry up and call out Ragnarok!"_

With a roar, the Dragonite was out, wings beating the air into a miniature whirlwind. Shane had all the wind knocked from his lungs as Ragnarok rushed forward, tossing Shane atop its back. Hands flailing, the boy reached for Gauntal's paw…

And was thrown backwards by the force of Lody's fist. "Tell your crazy Umbreon to let go of Amulet this instant!" she seethed. "What do you think you're doing?!"

_ "Gotta move, Shane!" _Gauntal panted, scrambling up beside its trainer and pulling Amulet after him. _"Go, go, go!"_

Throwing her pack to the ground, Lody grabbed up a handful of PokéCaps, ready to lob them in the retreating Ragnarok's direction. But as she prepared for the toss, a strong hand caught her arm and wrenched it backwards.

"So this is the Lody Shane's been telling me about," came Dissembler's wry voice. "She's almost more of a wildcat than Ruki herself!"

"I heard that, Dissembler!" a feminine voice snapped from behind. Long auburn hair streaming out behind her, another Team Rocket member, Ruki, had arrived on scene, still panting slightly from the brisk dash she'd just run. Seemingly effortlessly, she caught Roary, who had started forward yelling death threats, and twisted the other girl's arms behind her back. Ruki also caught a squealing Picassy with her free hand and stuffed the Pichu into Roary's backpack, all the while scowling impatiently. "Where's Reb when you need him!" she spat irascibly, staring pointedly at the helicopter above. 

As if on cue, the helicopter's propellers spun themselves into a silver blur. Both Dissembler and Ruki pulled their captives back as the helicopter headed in their direction, coming to hover just above them. 

With a metallic clank, one claw snaked down to grab both all four girls. Faster than the eye could blink, the captors, as well as the captives, disappeared through the hatch door. And amid the shouts and roars of the crowd and Charizard, the helicopter's propellers quickened, lifting it high into the air and over the horizon. 

Dissembler kept a tight hold on Lody's arms, even as Lody decided to slacken her own resistance. Beside her, Ruki was still struggling with a wild-eyed, hissing, kicking Roary Ketchum. 

"I can't believe you were part of Team Rocket all along!" Roary yelled, eyes boring holes into Dissembler's. "You knew that the Goldenrod Gym was going to be attacked! You were probably the one who set it up in the first place, in order to nab all those Eevee!"

Dissembler shrugged, tossing her golden curls over her shoulder as she and Ruki set to the task of tying the captives up. "Ever hear of infiltration?" she challenged, securing a particular knot that almost cut off Roary's circulation. "That's what Shane and I do, Rocket infiltration work. Only I was at the Goldenrod Gym and he got a last-minute assignment to some lab in Pallet Town." She winked daintily. "Where he met you guys, apparently."

"Why are you after Eevee?" Roary demanded, still thrashing about despite the ropes. "Tell me!" 

"Cannot do," Dissembler informed her jovially. "Sorry, Aurora."

Roary growled, but froze as a shadow fell over the threshold of the helicopter compartment. Shane was standing there, holding Amulet in his arms. Wordlessly, the boy walked to the back of the compartment and felt around in a small cardboard box, emerging quickly with a Super Potion bottle. Amulet stirred after just several sprays of the medicine, then jumped out of Shane's arms to stand by Lody.

"Don't try anything, please," Shane told Amulet, turning away and starting back the way he'd come. "We don't want to have to hurt you, again."

Silence followed him as he stepped away, a heavy, heavy silence. Shane could still remember earlier this same day, when he'd been forced to play the part of the captive to appease the whims of the superior Rockets. Now it was Roary and Lody who were being made to suffer the indignity. Only they had not done so voluntarily.

"I'm sorry," he said finally. "Roary and Amulet, you shouldn't be here. Cooperate, and Ragnarok will take you back." 

Dissembler knelt, loosening the girl's bonds obediently. Stumbling to her feet, Roary purposely averted her eyes from Shane. "Amulet?" he said softly.

The Espeon shook her head so hard that it sent her long ears waggling. "I'm not leaving without Lody," she insisted. "Can't you let her go, too?"

"I cannot. Lody is a valuable captive in our 'negotiations' with Professor Koreyu. She cannot and will not be released at this time."

Amulet's ears flattened against the back of her head. "Then neither shall I."

Lody's gaze met her Espeon's, piercing Amulet's dark eyes. "You have to go, Amulet," she said in a low voice. "Tell my father what happened to me. Please, just go! I can take…"

"Care of myself," Amulet finished for her. "Really Lody, why do you have to be so stubborn?"

"Will you go back with Roary now, Amulet?" Lody prodded.

The Espeon tore her eyes away from Lody's and sighed heavily. "As you wish, trainer," she replied submissively.

Lody bowed her head as Shane's Dragonite let both girl and Espeon mount its back. The helicopter hatch opened with a mechanical screech, admitting Ragnarok and its passengers into the sky outside. 

"Mission complete," Shane said, flipping open his wristwatch to reveal a tiny two-way radio. "Mission complete and reporting back to headquarters."

Shane kept post beside the open hatch, even as Ruki, and Dissembler left to join Reb in the cockpit. As soon as she heard their footsteps fade away, Lody looked up warily. Shane was still there, still waiting, still watching.

She forced herself to keep her mouth closed; she wasn't about to say a thing to this turncoat of a boy. But something within Lody exploded violently, and all the stony resolve she had held a moment before was washing away, carried by the current of her rage. 

"Whatever you want from my father can't me bought through me," she informed Shane icily. "I'll stop you any way I can. You know I'm desperate enough. I'll do anything, anything else than to be sold back to him like this, trussed up like a lost little Mareep!" 

Shane didn't seem to hear her at first. But slowly, ever so slowly, he pivoted on the ball of his foot until he faced her directly. "Anything, Lody?" he said in a quiet voice. "You'd do anything?"

Lody pursed her lips together, but the wretched word burst through them anyway. "Yes. Yeah, I would," she asserted, temper still blazing high.

Shane took in this information, letting it sink in for several moments. There was a gap of silence between them until Shane finally spoke again. "I'll make you a deal then, Lody Chimera," he said. "If you can beat me in a Pokémon battle, then you will no longer be a hostage. You will be allowed to join us as a member of the TRC, the Team Rocket Castaways. What do you say to that?"

* * *

_Back at the Pallet Lab..._

"There has to be another way." The man's face was hard, and his dark grey eyes sparked angrily. 

Professor Koreyu gazed calmly back at the screen of the phone monitor. "There is always another way," he said. "We could give in now, easily enough. And let Kayley die. But surely you didn't call just to tell me that."

The man on the monitor scowled, then starting laughing nervously. "Treachery is not the answer, Chris," he said. "You surely don't believe a word of what that boy has told you. I've been doing my homework; that Shane of yours isn't just any Team Rocket grunt. He's the leader of a specialty division called the TRC, also known as the Team Rocket Castaways. The TRC literally take kids off the streets or away from troubled families, in exchange for their services as Team Rocket members." 

The man flipped through a worn notebook as he went on. "But lately, the TRC has been doing a lot of infiltration work," he said, skimming the page yet again. "Haven't you heard about the break-in at the Goldenrod Gym in Johto? Recent evidence suggests that the whole thing was orchestrated by a TRC infiltration unit, one of your Shane's lackies, who posed as a Junior Trainer at the Gym." His face was drawn as he paused, then slowly trudged on. "You can't trust that boy, Chris," he said tiredly. "Molly Hale, the Goldenrod Gym Leader, is already paying for her credulity."

"I hold Shane Rising's word as good as yours, Tracey Kenji Sketchit," the Professor replied coolly. "Shane was my student, before I ever knew he was also a member of Team Rocket."

Tracey shook his head wearily, laughter gone and face pallid. "You're mad, Chris, to trust that boy. All you're doing is grasping at something that never was and never will be there. It's a dangerous and foolhardy idea, and you're going to do it anyway, aren't you?"

Sighing heavily, Chris felt his eyelids fall into place, just for a single moment of wavering indecision. When he opened them once more, the monitor had been switched off and the call had been disconnected. And a strange, dark fog was permeating the entire room.

"Is there really no other way?" a light, collected voice sounded through the shadowy mist. Getting to his feet, Chris swerved about.

A dark, slender figure was standing between the fingers of shadow, enveloped in the folds of a hooded cape that hung just above a pair of polished black boots. There was no way to distinguish the upper part of the face, including the eyes. All of it was hidden underneath layers and layers of dark green cloth.

"You could have knocked!" Chris said, trying to belie his fear with a weak laugh. "Who are you?"

The figure smiled, and Chris thought he could just discern the glimmer of an eye underneath the top of the cape. "My name is Robin," the cloaked figure started smoothly. Pulling a photograph seemingly out of the air, he handed it to Chris and nodded. "Is the girl in this picture familiar to you?"

"That's my daughter, Lody," Chris confirmed, eyes washing over the photo in confusion. It had been taken in the midst of some kind of a crowd, outside where the blaring sunlight left a visible lenses flare in the top corner. But it was easy to pick out Lody's yellow T-shirt and mess of brown-green hair amid the mass of people and Pokémon. And then there was Amulet, sitting beside her in the bleachers.

Robin nodded and took the picture. "This girl," he said, pointing at Lody, "was abducted by an organization calling themselves the Team Rocket Castaways, or interchangeably, the TRC. The kidnapping in question took place about 4:30 PM, Johto Region Time, at the Charicific Valley Reserve. Two other individuals, the girl's Espeon and a child named Roary Ketchum, were also taken at the time of the kidnapping. They were returned to the Valley only minutes later. The girl, Lody, is still missing."

Chris felt himself sinking numbly into a chair. "The TRC? Shane…but what do they want with her?" The answer hung in the air before him as soon as he had uttered the question. "Of course," Chris whispered. "They're using Lody…to get to me." Suddenly, his eyes flashed, and he shifted his gaze to the hooded figure. "Why should I trust you?" 

Tucking the picture away, Robin turned to face Chris. "I never said you should," he replied smoothly. "However, even you _ should_ have realized it was only a matter of time before Team Rocket would opt to try something as drastic. You were having negotiations with a TRC representative, the boy Shane Rising, correct? A boy who had previously been posing as your student."

"What's my answer to you?"

"Rising wanted to enlist your services in Team Rocket," Robin continued, unruffled by Chris's sharp reply. "What for exactly, he wouldn't say, but you had your hunches. You, Professor Koreyu, are a world-renown Pokémon scientist. The question is, what does Team Rocket have in mind that could possibly concern you?"

Chris sneered. "I admire your straightforwardness, but not your nerve," he said curtly. "If you're expecting me to acknowledge or refute a word you're saying, you can keep on fishing."

Robin's mouth curved into a smile. "What do you think of the name Kayley Mindstar?"

Chris was silent.

"Kayley Mindstar, a dying trainer trapped in the body of an Eevee," Robin went on calmly. "Your friend, Sabrina, has run the tests. Several times, in fact, and she delivered to you the paperwork for every single one. All of them point to the same thing –there is no conceivable way, scientific or psychically, to return Kayley to the way she once was."

"What makes you say that?" Chris challenged in a noticeably subdued voice.

Robin shrugged dismissively. "Popular opinion, Professor," he rejoined. "The world is waiting for you to prove them wrong. But…"

"But no one even understands how Kayley was trapped in the body of a Pokémon in the first place," Chris finished for him softly. "Most of it is beyond our imaginations completely. For years, we thought Kayley and her Eevee were dead. When she reappeared, in the Eevee's body, the Eevee and her, in the same body…" 

Shaking his head, Chris broke off in mid-thought. "No one would have ever believed it possible," he said finally. "Human and Pokémon, so utterly interconnected than they become one vessel sharing two souls. In some twisted way, this 'Merging' may be the highest achievement of unity between a Pokémon and its trainer."

"Such a unity can achieve great power," Robin said. "Team Rocket has always been hungry for power."

"Tell me, then," Chris challenged. "What do you know of Kayley and Team Rocket?"

Robin shrugged. "Just odds and ends," he said nonchalantly. "But what I do know is that Shane Rising tried to enlist your help for Team Rocket. And you were about to say yes."

"Why do you think that?"

Robin sidestepped the question without so much of an eye blink. "Team Rocket can help you find a way to save Kayley, or so Shane Rising claims. And what proof he has, I think one in your position would be desperate enough to believe."

Chris grinned mockingly. "Would I have to be so desperate?" he retorted. "Team Rocket used have one of the best team of scientists in the entire world. Not the most scrupulous, perhaps, but skilled nonetheless. Rumor has it that they were responsible for the creation of dozens and dozens of genetically enhanced Pokémon clones."

"But they never did achieve their true purpose," Robin interrupted. "To clone a human child."

Chris stared at the cloaked man incredulously. "How do you know any of this?" he demanded at last. "Cloning humans, I'm sure even Team Rocket wouldn't go that far!"

"It wasn't popular, I'll admit," Robin said, nodding. "Ideas of meddling further with genetics lay discarded for years. But now that Team Rocket has decided to reemerge, their leader is determined to unite the scattered remnants of the old Team under one, ultimate weapon."

"What can cloned children do?"

"Not clones," Robin corrected. "Mergers. A trainer and a Pokémon, combined together into one being. Somewhat like your friend, Kayley Mindstar, and her Eevee."

Chris inhaled sharply.

"A Merger personifies the ultimate bond between trainer and Pokémon," Robin went on. "As I've said before, a unity of this sort possesses extreme power. With an army of these so-called Mergers, Team Rocket could overturn the world of Pokémon as we know it."

"They wouldn't dare."

"Why do you think Team Rocket wanted to recruit your help in the first place?" Robin shot back at him. "Your studies on Kayley Mindstar make you an invaluable player in the Merging project."

"Truthfully, can they pull it off?"

"The first Merger has already been made," Robin replied tersely. "Whether or not it survives is another story. But more are sure to follow."

Chris's eyes flashed, then narrowed. "They have no right to meddle in the lives of these children and Pokémon," he growled. "But now it is certain…Team Rocket really does hold the key to Kayley's salvation. And there is no other way to get the information that she needs." 

"But this, Professor Koreyu?" Robin said. "Is this the price you'll pay for rescuing Kayley Mindstar? Will you betray hundreds of children and their Pokémon to save one person and her Pokémon?"

"Kayley is more than just one person," Chris said staunchly. "If she dies, more children and even more Pokémon will be hurt. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to make a few calls." 

Turning back to the phone monitor, Chris rubbed at his eyes wearily and switched it on. Things were getting more and more tortuous by the second. Robin's information had been strange enough, but he had no other choice than to accept it, for the time being.

Or was he just fooling himself, eager to believe Robin's ridiculous assertions in order to cement his stand on Kayley Mindstar's predicament? Chris shook this nagging doubt from his head. Kayley would come later. Right now, he had to find Lody and pull her out of the mess he'd gotten her into.

"Robin?" he called, looking up and over his shoulder. 

There was a low hiss, and suddenly the room was full of the same dark mist that it had been enveloped in before. Stumbling to his feet, Chris threw open the windows and doors, waiting for the shadows to dissipate into the air.

_ He used a Shadow Ball attack, _ Chris knew at last. _Exactly who am I dealing with here?_

Save for him, there was no one else in the room.

* * *

Atop the roof of the Pallet Town Laboratory, Robin crouched over a rain gutter. At his side, an adult Umbreon crouched, every muscle in its body tensed into a liquid spring.

"Good job," Robin whispered, and the Umbreon relaxed under its trainer's hand.

Something was tugging at the edge of Robin's mind. Pulling out the photograph he had taken hours before, he examined the Professor's daughter long and hard through narrowed eyes.

"Umb? Re-on?" the Umbreon said softly. It was a burly beast, body marked many times over by long scars. One of its eyes stood out like a blood-red ruby from in the Pokémon's dark face. It was this eye that it now turned questioningly towards its trainer. The other socket was an empty void even darker than its black fur.

"Nothing, it's nothing," Robin replied, tucking the photo away once more. "For a moment, I just felt as if…never mind."

Together, both Pokémon and trainer vanished stealthily down the wall and slunk away unnoticed. 

Unnoticed, save for the attentive gaze of an invisible boy perched atop a nearby rooftop. The boy let loose a long, echoing laugh before snapping his fingers and disappearing into thin air.

* * *

Notes:

By the way, that package Roary delivers in Chapter Two is actually the test results from Sabrina Robin mentions. Heh, I must be the only one who can remember that far back. 


	11. Roary: Rescue Mission

Star in the Storm, Chapter 10

Roary- "Rescue Mission"

* * *

"And don't come back!" 

Face flushed with anger, the redheaded young nurse stood in the Pokémon Center doorway and yelled over the head of the crowd. But not loud enough to block out the shouted protests and excited inquiries from outside.

"Is it true that Team Rocket has returned?" one reporter shouted over the others. "Is it true that they've kidnapped the daughter of Richard Koreyu?"

A rush of noise followed in anticipation. Slamming the door so hard that she sent her cap flying, the Pokémon Center nurse shut all of it out. Sighing and rubbing at her temples, she turned to me and smiled wearily. "Are you alright, dear?" she asked me kindly. "Would you like some more hot cocoa?"

"Pi, pi," Picassy said, shaking its head.

"Oh, no thank you, Nurse Hope," I said politely, stirring the cup of cocoa absentmindedly with my spoon and trying not to kick Amulet, who had fallen asleep under my chair.

The nurse smiled again. "Your father just called. He'll be here to pick you up in an hour."

"Does Professor Koreyu know what happened to…to Lody?"

"Professor Koreyu has been contacted," Nurse Hope replied. "You needn't worry yourself, my dear. The police will be sure to find your friend soon. Everything will turn out fine, just you wait and see."

As soon as the words were out of her mouth, a loud crash sounded from the back window, followed by some high-pitched reprimands. 

"Blissey, what is it?" Nurse Hope cried, rushing to the back with me and Picassy close behind her. The back storeroom lay in shambles. Somebody had cleverly managed to open the window, but unfortunately, had tripped on a whole lot of boxes on their way in, knocking food cans and spare PokéBalls all over the room.

"Blissey! Bliss, bliss! Sey!" The large pink Pokémon glared reproachfully down at the boy who was sprawled across the floor. A stack of boxes on the other side of the window told the Pokémon everything it needed to know, and it didn't like it one bit.

"Um, sorry," the boy grinned sheepishly, pulling himself up from amid the cans of PokéChow and rubbing at the bruises on his arms. "I didn't mean to intrude originally, but there were too many people at the front door."

"So you came in the window instead?" Nurse Hope demanded, hands on hips. "What kind of delinquent behavior is that, young man? Why, I should have you arrested right now. Of course, you'll leave right away, and won't tempt me. So out with you! Now!"

"Hey, wait a second!" the boy protested, putting up his hands and backing into the wall. "I don't mean any harm. I'm just looking for Roary Ketchum!"

"Who're you?" I asked suspiciously, stepping around a heap of cardboard cartons and giving this intruder the once-over. The boy had wild, fiery hair that was kept off his forehead with a bright red headband, plus dark, dark brown eyes that seemed open and sincere enough to me. He'd tied matching red bands around both of his tanned arms, maybe to cover the shiny burns that crisscrossed his skin, I guessed.

Something else was flickering in the back of my mind as I stared at him, something that I couldn't quite put my finger on.

"Drake?" a Charmander called from the other side of the window. Hoisting itself through into the room, it took a tensed stand in front of the fiery-haired boy, paws down but looking ready to spring at any second. The flame on its tail flared a fierce blue-white, and I could practically hear the air in the room sizzling with its heat.

"Easy, Fireball," Drake whispered to the Charmander in front of him.

A muffled growl sounded from outside the window. A large, extremely fierce Charizard had touched-down on the grass outside the Pokémon Center. And riding on its back was none other than Pika, Charm, and Bryar.

"We've been looking everywhere for you, Roary," Pika said, jumping down through the open window. It was instantly apprehended by Picassy, who leapt down from my shoulder and ran forward to hug Pika happily.

Following close behind the Pikachu, Bryar waggled an antennae at me. "I hope you're happy you've caused so much trouble for us, Aurora!" it sniffed, wedging its body through the window and falling onto the floor with a thud. "Getting yourself kidnapped by Team Rocket, of all things!"

"Thank goodness you're alright," Charm added, right behind the other two. With a loud bellow, Stray the Charizard stuck its head as far through the window as it would go, watching the gathering of people and Pokémon through its sharp eyes. I felt myself falling to my knees, gulping nervously.

Nurse Hope looked about ready to faint from shock. "Kids today," she laughed weakly. "Never know what they have up their sleeve."

Drake grinned back, putting a hand on the Charmander Fireball's shoulder.

"Drake…Drake? Wait a sec!" Snapping my fingers together, I jumped to my feet. "You don't happen to be related to AshkoaFlamefoe by any chance, do you?"

"He's my father," Drake replied tersely. "How did you know?"

I gestured to his fiery head of hair, then grinned. "My dad runs a souvenir stand by Indigo Plateau, and he sells framed photos of every single Champion who ever made it through the League, so I can pick out that distinctive Flamefoe hair as good as anyone!" I said, waving my hands about excitedly. "Ashkoa Flamefoe is practically legendary, you know! Every trainer passing through wants to know his story as the Champion with the three-day reign. Wow, it must be _so_ cool to be related to Ashkoa Flamefoe, what with him being a legend and all!" 

I paused to catch my breath and reconsider the rush of words that had just spewed forth from my mouth. "Well, then again, I guess since Ash Ketchum's _my_ dad, I'm kinda like you, too," I chattered on. "Only what Dad does nowadays is so dull –I mean, he doesn't even battle anymore, not in official competitions or anything! Now Ashkoa Flamefoe, no one knows what he's doing. I'll bet that your dad actually doing something worthwhile…like beating the Masters' Circle or, or…"

"Pichu, chu!" Picassy chastised, pulling at my leg anxiously.

"Um, Roary," Pika hissed, clambering onto my shoulder and leaning towards my ear. "Look at Drake."

I cut off what I was saying and studied the Flamefoe boy more carefully. The easy smile that had been there just moments ago had faded into his paling face, and Drake's fists were clenched and shaking.

I gulped awkwardly. "Oh! I didn't mean to…I didn't know…"

"It's okay," Drake mumbled underneath his breath. Straightening, he swallowed and suddenly, that smile was back on his face and he was acting like nothing had ever happened in the first place.

For a few seconds, I just kinda stood there uncomfortably. But by this time, Nurse Hope had recovered enough to make a graceful save. 

"Why do you all come into the lobby?" she suggested kindly. "You can talk things out over a cup or two of hot cocoa."

"Hot cocoa!" Pika cheered eagerly. "Nurse Hope's cure-all! Do you have any ketchup, though? Some people like marshmallows in their cup, but I prefer…"

"Ew! Pika!" we all chorused in unison.

"Hot cocoa sounds great," Charm agreed. "But what about…" The Charmander gestured upwards at Stray, who still had its head hanging through the window.

Looking up at the enormous Charizard, who was flexing its broad wings impatiently outside the window, Nurse Hope clutched at the wall faintly, then tried a smile. "We'll manage," she assured us.

* * *

Five minutes later, everyone was seated around a large round table in the lobby of the Pokémon Center, stirring, sipping, or gulping down cups of the hot, sweet drink. Nurse Hope's Blissey was running left and right, refilling cups or handing out straws, so quickly that it barely missed tripping over Amulet's tail every ten seconds.

I gazed down at the listless Espeon and gulped down my mouthful of cocoa sadly. The jewel atop Amulet's head was turning a murky red, I noticed unhappily, to reflect her dark, brooding mood. Amulet hadn't said a word since we'd escaped from the TRC helicopter, leaving Lody behind. Head propped up over her paws, she had curled herself under the table and refused to come out. All she ever did anymore was stare sorrowfully at the walls of the Pokémon Center, paws folded and body limp. Motionless as she looked, in her mind, I thought unhappily, Amulet must be wrestling the mightiest emotional demons.

Across the table, Pika was hurriedly squeezing ketchup over a plate of apple slices and marshmallows. Then it tipped the entire concoction into a bowl of hot cocoa and drank deeply. "Kaa," it sighed, making a small noise of satisfaction. "That was possibly the most delicious thing I've ever tasted. More ketchup, please!" it told Blissey, handing it the empty bottle.

The large, pink Pokémon glared at Pika angrily. "Blissey! Sey! Sey!" it snapped, pantomiming the shaking of an empty bottle of ketchup, than pointing to the ketchup stains on Pika's face. "Blissey! Ey!"

Charm laughed from its position next to Pika. "You must have cleaned the Pokémon Center out," it teased the Pikachu. "Who would've guessed one little Pokémon could put away 33 bottles of ketchup?"

"I didn't have 33 bottles!" Pika corrected angrily. Patting its stomach and taking another sip of cocoa, it grinned proudly. "I had at least 34."

"Pichu! Chu!" Picassy gagged, clutching at its stomach and pantomiming being sick all over the Pokémon Center floor.

As the laughter of the three Pokémon filled the entire room, I snuck a look at Bryar, who was sitting silently in the spot it had shoved for on Charm's other side and concentrating its gaze intently at a cup of cocoa.

_Silent? _I did a double take. That was a first for Bryar. On the Meganium's other side, Stray the Charizard was downing pitchers of cocoa by the second. Its hot, steaming breath sent rings of smoke all over the room, making me and Picassy cough.

"Aren't you going to have some cocoa, Fireball?" Drake was asking the blue-flamed Charmander anxiously. Fireball shook its head and continued to sit stoically in its seat, smoky gray eyes wavering neither left or right. 

Taking Fireball's mug, Drake downed the cocoa in one gulp, and didn't even choke. He turned and placed the empty cup on Blissey's tray before facing me. "I've been meaning to talk to you ever since you came back, Roary," he told me. "I think I can help you rescue Lody."

"What?" I said, startled. My cocoa mug fell out of my hands and onto the floor, and I flushed embarrassedly as a large, dark stain began seeping through the carpet. The mug itself rolled under the table, jouncing gently into Amulet's paws.

Dashing towards the site of the spill on its stubby little legs, Nurse Hope's Blissey shook a reproachful finger in my direction before whipping out a wad of napkins and forcing them into my hands.

As I got down on my hands and knees to mop up the spilled cocoa, Drake leaned down to grab the dropped mug and set it back on the table. "Lody got kidnapped by Team Rocket in Charicific Valley," he stated. "That already makes me somewhat responsible. Besides, Lody's a nice girl. Someone's got to help her out." 

"Well yeah, but me?" I pointed at myself incredulously. "The police are already searching for her, and so's Professor Koreyu. What makes you think _I'm _gonna rescue Lody Chimera?"

Drake shrugged. "That irrepressible Ketchum spirit," he answered with a wry grin. "Look, Roary," he went on, noting my puzzled expression. "I'm the caretaker of Charicific Valley. I have a whole fleet of Charizard, who are willing to help, at my disposal. Tracking, fighting, you name it! Charicific Valley is home to the finest Charizard in the world…"

Stray bellowed proudly and spread its wings out, nearly knocking over the table.

"…And some very valuable allies," Drake finished. 

I held up a hand. "Wait a sec. _You're _caretaker of Charicific Valley? But you can't be much older than me!"

Drake adjusted his headband embarrassedly. "Well, maybe not the official caretaker," he admitted. "Basically, I look after things whenever the real caretaker, Ms. Liza, wants a break. She put me in charge of the Charizard Competition because she wanted to enter it herself."

"I knew I smelled something fishy!" Pika cried. "That Charizard who won the Competition, Charla; that's Liza's Charizard, isn't it?"

"Oh!" I exclaimed, finishing up my mopping and slipping back into my seat. "I completely forgot! How did Stray do?"

"Well, we couldn't continue the Eevee contest after Team Rocket showed up," Drake sighed. "So we reverted to Plan B. The pipe climbing contest."

"Pi-pi-pi-pipes!" Pika gasped, falling off its chair and taking the tablecloth down with it. Miraculously enough, nothing spilled. I shook my head in wonder.

Stray glared menacingly at the guffawing Pikachu.

"It took a lot of butter," Drake continued. "Don't worry," he told Stray comfortingly. "There's always next year."

Stray sighed, slumping onto the floor and blowing smoke rings aimlessly at the ceiling.

"But if you're not the real caretaker of Charicific Valley," I started hesitantly, "what can you do?"

Drake shook his head. "Liza left several months ago to start training, and now she's off again to the annual Trainers Against Cruelty Towards Flamed Pokémon convention down in Saffron. Which means I'm in charge of the Valley for the rest of the summer. But first things first. We need to get to Pallet Town in order to talk to Lody's father, Professor Koreyu, the sooner the better. I'm sure he'll be willing to help us." Grinning widely, Drake checked my expression for signs of renewed enthusiasm. "What do you say to that, Roary Ketchum?" he prompted. "Are you ready to rescue Lody Chimera yet?"

Standing up so quickly that the table almost fell over, I gave Drake an exuberant thumbs-up sign. "You've got yourself a deal, Drake Flamefoe!" I grinned, wincing as my empty cocoa mug clattered to the ground and bumped into Amulet again. "Sorry, Amulet," I said hastily. "But seriously, I don't even know what I was doing, sulking around like this! It's kinda my fault Lody didn't come back in the first place, so I'm gonna make sure she does now! C'mon, guys! Let's get going!" 

Bolting away from the table and towards the door, I tripped over the tail of a certain Meganium and landed flat on the still-damp carpet of the Pokémon Center floor. Pulling its tail out from under my inert body, Bryar groaned and slapped a vine whip to its forehead. "Great! All that cocoa's got her on a permanent sugar high!" it lamented, turning its gaze skyward for relief.

"But what about your father, Roary?" Nurse Hope asked me worriedly as Drake, the rest of the gang, plus me, rushed out the door. 

"Don't worry!" I called back over my shoulder. "He'll understand!"

* * *

"I've done some looking into prospective Rocket hideouts!" Charm yelled over the rush of the wind as we sped back in the direction of Charicific Valley, as fast as Stray could carry us all. "Truth is, the authorities gave up on Team Rocket long ago."

"Ever since my father disbanded them," I concluded. "No one felt they were a threat."

Charm nodded, bandanna flapping against its neck in the wind. "Scattered as the remaining members of Team Rocket may be, there have been conglomerations of reoccurring Rocket attacks, or attacks by individuals claiming to be Rockets, in several locations," it continued. 

As it talked, the Charmander pulled out a map of the Johto-Kanto region and started circling several locations in red ink. "Azalea Town, Goldenrod City, Viridian City, the Cerulean Power Plant on Route 9, as well as several locations in the Orange Archipelago," it said, marking each in turn. "Any one of these could house the Team Rocket Headquarters, where I'll bet they're keeping Lody."

"No problem!" Drake called back from his perch atop Stray's neck. "We'll send out Charizard scouts to investigate all those locations. When we find out where Lody is, we can launch a full-frontal attack against the Rocket HQ!" 

"Is anyone besides me a bit confused here?" Bryar groaned, antennae twitching in agitation. "Why not just tell the police, and let them handle it?" it demanded.

"I've already offered them my help!" Drake stated indignantly. "Unfortunately, they didn't seem too keen on listening to a twelve year-old boy! Besides, if Team Rocket could infiltrate the Goldenrod Gym and the Pallet Lab, don't you think they'd have somebody in the police force as well?"

Charm sighed, wiping a bead of sweat from its brow. "It looks as if Team Rocket was much more active that we originally thought them to be," the Charmander said worriedly. "Infiltration attempts and spies everywhere we turn. And now they're after Eevee, of all things. What do suppose they could be planning? And that Giovanni, who disappeared all those years ago. Do you think he's come back to resume control of Team Rocket?"

From its position beside Charm, Pika shook its head, bright black eyes narrowing. "Giovanni doesn't fight like this," it stated tersely. "No, we're dealing with an entirely new opponent here. One whom we no almost nothing about."

"This is ridiculous!" Bryar exploded, antennae wildly waving about in the air. "We might as well tie our paws behind our backs and try to hit the guy with a fruitcake. You know what I think, Aurora? When your Daddy hears about this…"

"He'd be proud of his daughter," I replied firmly, cutting Bryar off in mid-sentence. "Besides, I like fruitcake. Especially with whipped cream. Yum!"

Shaking its head, Bryar let its vine whips hang loose in defeat. "You're just like your Daddy, Aurora Ketchum," it groaned. "We're all doomed!"

* * *

Notes:

Thank you to Peter Kim and The Princess of Light. You cannot believe how happy you have made me, simply by expressing an interest in my story! To answer some questions, Pika and Bryar didn't really leave Ash, they just keep house for him while he's off in Indigo Plateau. Stray (Ash's Charizard) has been at Charicific Valley ever since its departure in the anime series, and I suppose Ash's other Pokémon are with him, or helping Bryar and Pika around the house (they just don't get mentioned by name). As for the old Team Rocket members, most of them have been scattered around ever since Ash "disbanded" them. Some, like Jessie and James, are afraid to return empty-handed, others are dead. I can't say much about the leader of Neo Team Rocket other than the whole Merging project was his/her idea and that he/she will appear later, if things go the way I have planned.


	12. Lody: The Ultimate Battle

Star in the Storm, Chapter 11

Lody- "The Ultimate Battle"

* * *

"Careful now. Ruki, not so tight!"

I pursed my lips together as a pair of cold hands fastened a blindfold around my eyes. Stumbling to my feet, I hobbled forward a few steps before collapsing again on the helicopter floor.

"She's weak. Help her up."

Somebody hoisted me roughly to my feet and prodded me down the helicopter ramp. I was far too tired to object. My sneakers hit what felt like cushioning grass, or maybe soft dirt. In response to an impatient push, I took another step, then stopped stubbornly.

"What are you waiting for?" a girl's harsh voice demanded. "Get a move on already!"

"Where are we?" I asked softly, bracing my feet against the ground.

The voice sighed, and then an arm came out to pull me forward. "That's none of your concern," the girl snapped. "Just keep on moving, and don't ask questions."

I dug my heels in and found myself recklessly imitating my captor's harsh voice. "Just answer my questions, and I'll keep on moving," I retorted, clenching my jaw.

Fingers tightened, digging into the flesh of my arm. "You'll listen and obey, if you know what's good for you."

A girlish giggle came from behind me, a sharp contrast to the gruff individual who had spoken before. "Oh, Ruki, don't scare her!" the giggler laughed lightly, voice similar to the silver wind chimes that hung out on the porch back home. I could hear them playing in my mind right now, sweet and ringing in the breeze. At the moment, home didn't seem like such a bad place to be.

"Oh, Ruki. Humor her," another voice suggested. 

I tensed. It was Shane.

The pressure on my arm relaxed, leaving a dull, throbbing pain in my skin. "You're no guest, Lody Chimera," the girl hissed audibly. "Don't expect any special treatment."

The light nearly blinded me as the blindfold was whipped from my face. Staggering backwards, I regained my balance, staring in a mix of confusion and wonder at my strange surroundings. 

We were in a grassy meadow; the clawed helicopter had touched down only a few yards away. Most of the field was bordered by a sprawling expanse of thick forest and tangled underbrush. Listening intently, I thought I could even hear the rush of a stream deep within the forest. But the very edge of the field was what caught and held my gaze. Far in distance lay a line of short, squat little buildings, casting a strange silhouette against the midday horizon.

A cool little breeze brushed past my shoulder, setting the grass into a long, rippling undulation about my feet. Tearing my eyes away, I turned and started walking on my own. "What is this place?" I asked finally as we neared the line of buildings ahead.

The giggling girl, who had been introduced to me before as a Goldenrod Junior Trainer, laughed and laughed. She had bouncy golden curls that seemed to glitter in the bright sunlight. A broad little cap atop her head gave the girl (Dissembler, was it?) a pert, energetic appearance. 

She was also wearing a black uniform, complete with a red TRC stitched on front.

Now I finally recognized the strange R symbol that I had seen on Shane's shirt before. R was not for Rising. It was for Rocket. Team Rocket.

"This?" Dissembler said, spreading her hands far apart. "This is the Team Rocket HQ. We're the TRC, the Team Rocket Castaways. And this is our home."

"Enough!" the gruff-voice girl snapped. Her lavender eyes darted to and fro, from me to Dissembler and back. The rest of her body was tensed tighter than a coiled spring of metal. 

"Ruki," Shane said in a low voice to the girl. "Ruki, give Lody a chance, will you?"

Ruki's lavender steel eyes flashed, but she lowered her head respectfully. I eyed her curiously as she looked down. Ruki looked at least fifteen or sixteen years old, and tough as Sneasel nails. Why was she taking orders from someone as young as Shane?

As she bowed her head, Ruki's reddish-brown hair just clipped across her shoulders. Unlike Dissembler, she was not wearing a TRC uniform, but a grungy old t-shirt decorated with a picture of a cat's face, in addition to a pair of patched blue jeans. "I apologize for my behavior," she said to me curtly. "Now, can you at least walk a bit faster?"

The shrill voice of a small child echoed from the buildings as we crossed the field. Dashing as swiftly as a streaking Raichu, a little boy no more than six or seven ran the length of the field and propelled himself into Ruki's arms. "Did you miss me! Did you miss me!" he cried joyfully. "I wanted to come so bad, but Shane said no!"

"You're too young for a mission, Chip," Shane informed the boy reasonably. "Maybe next time you can go."

"That's right, squirt," Ruki said, punching the little boy gently in the arm. "Listen to what Shane says. He's older than you, smarter than you, plus he's bigger than you, too."

"You could beat him up, Ruki," Chip informed the girl without hesitation. "My big sister can beat anybody up. Not that anybody'd want to beat up Shane," he added hastily, amid hearty laughter from the assembled Team Rocket Castaways.

"Hey, Chipper!" Dissembler said, ruffling the little boy's thatch of reddish-brown hair. "Remember me?"

"'Sembler!" Chip grinned, running over eagerly. "Did you being me any presents, 'Sembler? Did ya? Did ya?"

Dissembler looked around warily, then put a finger to her lips. "I'll show you later, Chipper," she assured the little boy. "When everybody's here. I have lots of presents for everybody!"

"I, for one, am exuberant," came a dry voice from the helicopter. The ramp to the ground was lowering again, and this time, a dark-haired boy was coming down it in a wheelchair. He had sharp blue eyes that seemed to pick out and analyze every detail that they washed over. Like Ruki and Chip, he wore no uniform.

"How's it going, Reb?" Shane asked. "Still think that copter was worth the double slash in our salaries?"

The blue-eyed boy grinned. "She's a dream come true," he pronounced, setting a hand on the shiny black surface of the helicopter. Immediately afterwards, he pulled a cloth from his pocket and polished away the marks his fingerprints had left.

"At least it did its job," Shane smiled. "I don't think we missed a single Eevee."

"Eevee?" Chip cried enthusiastically. "Where's the Eevee? Can I see, Ruki? Please?"

Reb scowled at Chip. "Furry little hair balls," he spat disdainfully. "The world's a better place without 'em if you ask me."

"No one asked you," Chip said confusedly. "And I like Eevee."

"Kids," Reb snorted, folding his arms. "Think everything with four legs and big eyes is adorable."

"Don't listen to him, Chip," Ruki said, face softening as she faced her little brother. "All Reb cares about are his cold, lifeless machines. The two fit each other perfectly."

"Guys," Shane said, stepping in before an argument could erupt. "Cut it out already. You're setting a bad example for the kid."

"Sorry," both mumbled sheepishly.

A small tug on my arm made me turn around in surprise. Chip was standing there, eyes wide and inquisitive. "Who are you?" he asked curiously. "Are you going to be part of the TRC, too?"

I looked down at him and gulped. I was never very good with little kids. "My name is Lody," I said finally. "And no, I'm not part of Team Rocket."

"That's okay," Chip said generously. "Not everybody can be."

As the Castaways headed into the nearest building, Shane and Gauntal fell into step beside me. It was only after the others had disappeared inside that hane stopped and began to speak. "So, have you considered my offer?" he said lightly, voice smooth and polished free of emotion.

"To join Team Rocket in exchange for my freedom?" I shot back at him bitterly. "What kind of offer is that?"

"Your only one." Shane's voice grew even lighter, almost teasing. "And that's only if you beat me in a Pokémon match first. You aren't afraid to battle me, are you, Lody? I know you're just a novice, so I'd go easy on you. And in the end, the choice would be yours. Even if you win, you won't have to join Team Rocket. You could stay a hostage, if you wanted."

"I'll lose either way."

Shane smiled. "Oh, but don't you want the satisfaction of having me eat my words?" he said wryly. "You beat Roary Ketchum the first time I met you; am I really such a difficult opponent?"

He was baiting me, and I hated him more than ever for it. "I'm ready to battle when you are," I snapped, glaring Shane straight in the eye. The boy was bluffing, I was sure of it. There was no way he could be reckless enough to let me, of all people, join an organization I would be sure to destroy.

Shane didn't even flinch. 

* * *

"This will be a three-on-three match between Shane Rising and the prisoner, Trilody Chimera," Dissembler announced loudly from the edge of the field. "If Lody wins, she will be given the opportunity to join the TRC."

"This is a stupid idea," I heard Ruki inform Shane icily, arms crossed before her. "The Leader isn't going to like this one bit. Shane, we can't risk losing such a valuable prisoner!"

"Have you no confidence in my battling abilities?" Shane replied, smooth as glass. 

Ruki was silent.

"Take that cocky little brat down a peg or two, Shane!" Reb drawled from the sidelines. "Sorry, Chimera, but this one's going to Rising." 

Clenching my jaw tight, I pushed the hair from my face and sent out my first Pokémon, Vulcanis.

A long, sustained howl shattered the calm of the afternoon air as my Pokémon emerged in a fighting stance. Eyes glittering and teeth bared, the burly Arcanine stepped onto the battlefield. The wind tore at its many ruffs of cream-colored fur before running down its orange-black striped flank. Vulcanis was a reliable Pokémon and a solid fighter. It would hold up well.

Shane nodded, then pulled a PokéCap from his jacket pocket. "I choose Decadence!" he proclaimed, letting loose a murky-skinned Pokémon. Silvery horns curved from Decadence's head to its slender neck, and several pairs of silver rings encircled the Pokémon's long legs. Raising its head, Shane's Houndoom echoed Vulcanis's howl with a low, eerie call of its own. 

Taking my place behind Vulcanis, I waited impatiently for Shane to take the offense. But he and Decadence were rooted in place as firmly as frozen statues.

"The first move courtesy always goes to guests," Shane explained at last, gesturing to me. "Please start the battle off, Lody."

I gritted my teeth, but obeyed. "Vulcanis, start off with Extreme Speed!" I commanded. With a bark, my Arcanine was off, becoming just a blur on the battlefield. It feinted several times before barreling head-on towards Shane's Pokémon.

"Smog," Shane instructed coolly. I coughed and covered my mouth as a thick cloud of malodorous vapor bloomed out over the grass. Vulcanis hurtled through the Smog attack, meeting no resistance. In that split-second distraction, Decadence had leapt away and was now circling my Pokémon from behind. 

"And it looks like Chimera's Arcanine missed Shane's Decadence completely!" Dissembler whooped, speaking into an imaginary microphone. "What will Trilody do now, folks?"

"For the last time," Ruki snapped. "No commentary!" 

I was thankful for Ruki at that moment, despite my aching arm. I already knew everybody here was against me; they didn't have to rub it in my face. "Agility, Vulcanis!" I called out quickly. "Evade that Houndoom!"

Once more, Vulcanis became a streak of orange cream and black stripes, paws barely skimming the ground. Unfortunately, neither Shane nor his Pokémon seemed the least bit concerned. And as the battle wore on, I saw why.

Vulcanis was slowing down, stumbling more and more often. One bump in the ground, probably a sharp stone, sent my Arcanine tumbling into a panting heap.

"And Chimera's Arcanine is down!" Dissembler hooted loudly. "With one Pokémon gone and three to defeat, Chimera will have to do some pretty fast thinking if she wants to win this match!"

"Vulcanis!" I cried, running forward and dragging my hands through my Arcanine's fur. Underneath, Vulcanis's skin felt hot and feverish. "What happened?" I demanded Shane, trying hard to keep my voice from wavering.

"It looks like Vulcanis was Poisoned by that last Smog attack," Shane explained nonchalantly. "You can keep it in the match if you want, but it'd be best to give it some Antidote first." Digging something out of his pocket, he tossed it in my direction. As it skidded to a stop at my feet, I saw it was a small bottle. 

Slowly, hesitantly, I picked the bottle off the ground and sprayed Vulcanis a few tentative times. With a quiver, then a small moan, Vulcanis rose shakily to its feet.

"I'm glad you're okay," I said softly, extending a PokéCap. "Return, Vulcanis."

"You didn't keep your Pokémon in the match?" Shane's voice was mildly surprised. "It could have kept on fighting."

"Vulcanis deserves a rest," I stated coldly, glaring in his direction. 

Shane smiled, but did not question me further. "Then by all means, send out your next Pokémon," he said.

Pulling out a new PokéCap, I lobbed it into the field silently. In a flash of blue, my Kingdra, Cascader, had taken Vulcanis' place and was facing Decadence threateningly.

"Cascader, Hydro Pump!" I yelled, calling forth the Kingdra's most powerful Water attack. With a powerful blast of water, Decadence was thrown brutally backwards, slamming by its side into a nearby tree. 

"Return, Decadence," Shane said, recalling his Houndoom. "Nice work, Lody," he complimented me briefly before sending out his next Pokémon. 

I held my breath as Shane's majestic Dragonite took the place of its fallen comrade. Unfurling its azure wings, the Pokémon cocked its head quizzically before launching itself into the air. 

_Dragon against Dragon, _I thought to myself. _Except Shane's Dragon can fly, while mine is best suited to the water. _

"And so Shane sends out mighty Ragnarok, king of the skies, to combat Chimera's Kingdra!" Dissembler yelled. "Now both Pokémon are taking battle stances, and Chimera…Chimera has chosen to use a Blizzard attack! Watch out, Shane! Ice attacks have and edge on both Dragon and Flying types!" 

Ragnarok wheeled sharply upwards as the howling storm of ice chips and snowflakes hurtled in its direction. For a moment, all I could see was white. Putting up an arm to block the stinging fragments of icy hail, I waited for the storm to clear.

And when it finally did…

"Did you see that?" Dissembler crowed triumphantly. "Ragnarok avoided the Blizzard attack _completely_ by flying out of the storm's reach! Sorry Chimera, but you'll have to have better range than that to hit a Flying Pokémon!"

_She's right, _I thought angrily. _Ragnarok has the entire sky at its disposal, whereas my Pokémon is earth-bound. No matter what Cascader does, Ragnarok will be able to avoid it by flying away._

"Ragnarok," Shane called out. "Use a Slam attack on Cascader!"

As the Dragonite neared earth, I realized this would be the perfect time to strike. Now Ragnarok's soft underbelly was vulnerable and within easy reach. 

But couldn't Shane see that as well?

"Cascader, Hyper Beam!" I yelled as Ragnarok neared. The glowing ball of light hit Ragnarok full in the stomach. The force of impact knocked the Dragonite to the ground, where it skidded several feet through the chilling snow left by my Kingdra's Blizzard, wings dragging limply at its sides. 

"Return, Ragnarok," Shane said, taking his Dragonite out of the battle. "I only have one Pokémon left now, Lody. Maybe you'll win after all, you think?"

"C'mon Shane!" Dissembler cheered. "Don't let that Chimera girl beat you! Better start running, Lody!"

"You can do it, Shane!" Chip called shrilly, pumping a fist into the air. "You're the best battler in the world!"

_You let me take down your Dragonite, _I wanted to tell Shane. _You knew Ragnarok would be vulnerable at that moment. You knew I would strike. Why, then? Why are you toying with me like this?_

"I'll choose Poseidon," Shane announced, letting loose his last Pokémon. With a fierce "Hya!", Shane's sparkling Starmie jumped onto the battle field, its ruby red gem glowing intensely. The sun reflected off Poseidon's polished surface, throwing purple and gold rays blindingly back into my eyes. 

"And Shane Rising brings Poseidon, the shimmering star of the seas, forth into the battle!" Dissembler proclaimed. 

"NO COMMENTARY!" Ruki blasted into the other girl's ear. "Just watch the match, like a good little referee."

"Hey, that's no fun," Dissembler sulked. "Oh, now Chimera takes the offensive with another Hyper Beam attack! Ha, you'll have to do more than that to put a scratch on Poseidon's shiny shell!"

She was right. With a flash of its ruby gem, Poseidon glowed briefly for a moment, before spinning, fully revitalized, into Cascader's side.

"Ooh! Poseidon utilizes a quick Recover, then attacks using Swift!" Dissembler cried out excitedly. "What will Lody's next move be?"

"Cascader, Agility!" I called out. Now that my Kingdra had become little more than a blur of blue scales and white fins, it would be impossible for Poseidon to mount another attack.

But Shane had a different idea. "Poseidon, spin and use Thunderbolt!" he commanded casually. The star-shaped Pokémon obeyed, twisting itself into a wild frenzy of sizzling sparks.

I realized Shane's strategy too late. As the Starmie spun, bolts of electricity flew from its arms, swiping effectively in all directions. No matter how agile Cascader was, she was soon hit by the continuous arc of lightning. 

"Return, Cascader!" I commanded, taking the Kingdra off the battlefield and reaching for another PokéCap. Starmie was half-Psychic, so maybe a half-Dark would be able to put it in its place. But the only half-Dark I had was also half Rock. And any elementary battler knew that Rock types had a serious disadvantage against Water.

I was going to have to risk it.

"Go, Sahra!" I cried, sending my Tyranitar into battle. Roaring mightily, Sahra stomped both hind feet against the ground, creating a mini-earthquake that nearly sent Poseidon swerving into the dirt. Turning to face Shane's Starmie, Sahra snarled threateningly.

"With both battlers having only one Pokémon left to go," Dissembler announced, "there's no telling how this match will end! Shane's Starmie is half-Water, putting a serious damper on Lody's half-Rock Tyranitar. But can Shane's Starmie, who is also half-Psychic, overcome its type disadvantage against Tyranitar's Dark attacks?" 

Cupping her hands around her mouth, Dissembler shouted loudly into the field. "We're rooting for you, Shane! You can win this thing!"

"You'd better win this thing," Ruki muttered darkly. "Or else there's no telling what the Leader is going to do to us when he finds out."

Sahra growled deep in the back of her throat, shifting one dark eye in my direction. She pumped her claws up in a victory pose, then winked at me.

I smiled shakily. "_You _can win this thing, Sahra," I said determinedly. "_We_ can win this thing, together." Snapping myself back into battle-mode, I called to my Tyranitar in a ringing voice. "Sahra, use Crunch attack on that Starmie! Now!"


	13. Roary: Back to Pallet

Star in the Storm, Chapter 12

Roary- "Back to Pallet"

* * *

"Hello? Is anyone home?"

Pounding loudly on the door, I called out again. "Professor K? It's me, Roary Ketchum. My friends and I…oomph!"

Falling flat on my face as the door opened under my fists, I looked up to find the facse of an irritated, chubby-looking Squirtle towering over my own.

"Whirt ire yir toin' here, Roiry?" the Squirtle asked me accusingly. "Wiren't yir with Shane?"

"Ripple! Boy, am I glad to see you!" I cried, jumping up and giving the Squirtle a great big hug. "Where's Prof. K? I need to speak with him right away!"

"Yir irnd whirt irmy?" Ripple demanded. "The Professir's viry busy, irnd he cirn't be distirbed."

"All of us need to speak with the Professor," Charm said, moving into view. Behind the Charmander, Pika, Fireball, Bryar, and Stray stepped towards the doorway.

"Whire dit all of yir cirme from?" Ripple gawked, falling backwards onto its shell. "Chirm? Pikir? Irnd Stray?"

"Everyone forgets good ole Bryar, don't they?" the Meganium said disgustedly. "Well, knives and cleaves can cut my leaves, but being ignored, that really tears me apart," it said in a dry voice. "I can practically feel my _fronds_ withering away."

"You're Ripple?" Drake asked, bending down and offering a hand to Ripple's paw. "I'm Drake Flamefoe, temporary caretaker of Charicific Valley. We can help Professor Koreyu find his daughter, but we'll need use of his resources to do it."

"Ashkoir Flirmefoe's boy?" Ripple asked, scratching its head with a blunt claw. "Well, bless my shell, Pirllet Town hirsn't hert wort from irny Flirmefoes in sirch ir long time! Cirme in! Cirme in, all of yir!"

"So where is Professor Koreyu?" I asked impatiently as Ripple led us inside at last. There was a small episode as Stray got stuck in the doorframe, but we managed to fix it with a little bit of butter from the Lab refrigerator.

"The Professir's in the birk," Ripple explained, pointing to a long hallway and the closed door at its end. Running up on its stubby little legs, the Squirtle almost tripped over a small blue-and-yellow Pokémon on its way down the hall.

"Oops! Sorry, Chin-Whoop!" Ripple apologized, rushing past to knock politely on the door.

"What is you doing?" the little Hybrid asked curiously. "Why knock-knock Prof'sir door?"

There was a small pause before the door opened. "Ripple?" the Professor said, looking down confusedly at his Pokémon. Then, looking up at us--"I don't remember throwing any parties," he said with a wry face. Though his tone was light enough, I could already see lines of worry furrowing his brow. "Roary, weren't you with Shane?" he asked me, closing the door behind him. "And Charm? Pika? What are all of you doing here?"

I gulped, bracing myself, then rushed in without stopping once for breath. "Professor Koreyu, I didn't wanna believe it myself, but Shane's one of them. A member of Team Rocket, I mean. He and some other Team Rocket people tried to kidnap me and Lody, only they let me go and kept…kept…"

"It's okay, Roary," the Professor said with a sigh. "I know what happened to Lody. There wasn't anything you could have done to save her."

"But we _can _do something now!" I insisted. "Professor K., this is Drake Flamefoe. He's in charge of all the Charizard at Charicific Valley, and he'll get them looking for the Rocket HQ and Lody as soon as possible."

"That's right, Professor," Drake said, coming forward to shake the Professor's hand. "My Charizard friends are the fastest, the cleverest, and the most efficient in the world. They'll find your daughter, as soon as we give them several locations to search."

"The computer's up front," Professor Koreyu informed us, nodding. "We can narrow down the search locations from there. Is that what you had in mind, Drake?"

"Sounds good to me," the boy replied with a grin.

"Great. Ripple, you wouldn't mind getting the rest of our…guests settled, now would you?"

"Right on it!" Ripple affirmed, picking its way through the crowd and waddling down the hall. "Now, if yir'll jirst follow me. Cirme irlong thirs way, now."

I watched hopefully as the long line of Pokémon disappeared down the dark hallway, all save for Chin-Woop, who was looking curiously on. "There's still the question of what to do once we find out where Lody's being held," I brought up after a moment's pause. 

"That's an easy one," the Professor replied. "Call the police and send them in to get her out of there. In the meantime, we'll do our best to keep Team Rocket at bay."

"But, Professor! If we send in the police, won't…won't someone get hurt?"

"Can't be helped," the Professor replied shortly. And with that, he swerved about on his heel and turned away. "Come on, Drake Flamefoe," he called, not looking back. "Let's see about those search locations of yours."

As the footsteps of Drake and the Professor faded down the other end of the hallway, I felt a gentle tugging at my ear.

"Pi, pichu? Pipi?" Picassy said, peering anxiously at my face.

"Oh, I don't know, Cass." Wringing my ponytail with one hand, I lifted Picassy off my shoulder with the other and hugged it tight. "Shane might be a member of Team Rocket, but he was…was a nice guy," I said softly, feeling my face go red. "Does he really deserve to get hurt, Cass?" 

Picassy stuck a paw in its mouth and sucked. "Pichu, pi," it whimpered softly, digging its spare paw into my arm. 

"Oh, Cass, I really hope it doesn't have to come to that," I told my Pichu sadly. "People shouldn't get hurt, but a lot of them are going to in the future, aren't they?"

"No hurt," Chin-Woop agreed readily from where it hovered in the air only a few feet away. "Hurt bad," it stated firmly, long ears waggling in the air.

"Pichu. Oo!" Nodding its head firmly, Picassy scampered back onto my shoulder and tweaked my ear playfully. "Chu! Chu!"

"Oh, Picassy, you're right!" I said, hugging it closer than ever. "What kind of way is that for me to think? Roary Ketchum's ready to reenter the ring! Let's go, shall we?"

"Pi…chu-oo-ooo," Picassy choked, squirming out of my suffocating grasp.

"Oops. Sorry, Cass," I grinned as the little Pichu made a face at me, then scurried down the hallway. Laughing away my apprehension, I followed.

"Ah!" Chin-Woop cried as we ran past. The rush of air had sent it spinning backwards and left it very dizzy. 

* * *

We found Drake, Prof. K, and the Pokémon assembled around a large computer terminal in the back room. Squeezing my way in between Bryar and Stray, I gazed in perplexity at the screen before me. It was a map, minimized to show all of Kanto and the neighboring region, Johto, as well as the Orange Archipelago.

"Pichu?" Picassy asked, cocking its head back questioningly.

Drake pointed to a large, red ring that had appeared on the screen moments before. "There," he said decisively. "And here, and here."

"Lake of Rage, by Mahogany Town," Pika read as the text flashed onto the screen. "Goldenrod City. And a deserted island neighboring Cleopatra Island in the Orange Archipelago."

"Any one of these locations could host the Rocket HQ," Charm said, pointing to a whole array of red dots all over the map. "But those three are the top items on our list."

Professor K. shook his head. "Many of these places are pretty remote," he informed Drake worriedly. "A deserted island, even. Can your Charizard fly over an entire ocean?"

Beating a paw on its stomach, Stray roared loudly to clear its throat. Tail lashing violently, it sent the dead leaves from a nearby potted plant swirling into the air.

Charm translated as Stray began in rapid-fire Charicific. "The Charizard of Charicific Valley have been training all their lives for a challenge as great as this one," it said as Stray put a paw proudly to its chest. "And it is in the spirit of Charicific Valley to take on any test of skill that the world has to offer. The vastness of a mere ocean is nothing compared to the immensity of a Charizard's heart. Give us any challenge you wish, and we will surmount it or die trying!"

Stray raised its paws triumphantly into the air. Eyes shining in pride for its friend, Charm did the same.

"That Charizard has some serious poetic merit," Bryar said sarcastically.

"Personally," Pika grinned, "I prefer ketchup." 

Drake gave the Professor a shrug. "I wouldn't try to stop these Charizard, sir," he said earnestly. "They can get pretty nasty when it comes to defending their honor. And to turn down any challenge, sir, is a serious infraction in their society."

"Then it's settled," the Professor said. "Drake, send out your Charizard ASAP. We can monitor their progress on the computer." Pressing a button, he nodded as several bright blue dots appeared on the map. 

Grinning, Drake swung open the door and cupped his hands over his mouth. "Okay, guys!" he yelled into the sky. "You can come down now!"

With a combined roar, an enormous squadron of Charizard emerged from behind the clouds, diving straight for the Professor's front yard flowerbed. Bryar winced as countless geraniums and petunias were crushed under large Pokémon feet. 

"I feel your pain," the Meganium murmured, touching a small, crumpled daffodil with the tip of its nose.

Strapping a tracker onto its neck, Stray did several warm-ups before heading back out the door. We watched as the mighty Charizard flexed its wings and took off into the sky. Like a single mass of wings and bodies, the remaining Charizard strapped on their trackers as well and launched themselves into the air. 

I held my breath unknowingly as the flock of Pokémon dispersed into different directions, looking like the seeds of a dandelion in a strong breeze. Soon the Charizard were no more than tiny specks in the blue sky. Heaving a great sigh of relief, I started back inside. Everything was working out just fine. Lody would be found, and Team Rocket…Team Rocket would be duly defeated. I mean, it was only right for them to be punished, after kidnapping Lody and stealing all those poor little Eevee. 

Sometimes you don't wanna hurt anyone, but sometimes, you don't really have any other choice. In this case, I knew we were doing the right thing. 

"Roary?" a small, soft voice said. There was a faint pawing at my leg.

Looking down, I was surprised to see Amulet there. Her body was thin and weak, and there were dark hollows under her large, liquid eyes.

"What's up, Amulet?" I asked, bending down to put a hand on her back.

"I need to tell Lody's father something. Something…very important."

"I understand, Amulet." Helping Amulet to stand again, both of us walked side by side back into the lab. Drake and the other Pokémon were assembled in various positions around the room making small talk or, in Ripple's case, taking out their anxiety on an ample snack. Professor K., on the other hand, was hard at work. He didn't look up from the computer screen until I cleared my throat behind him.

"Professor? Amulet has something to say." I turned the Espeon. "Amulet?"

Struggling just to maintain her balance, Amulet looked up at Lody's father and whispered in a hoarse voice, "You know what happened to Lody. But do you know why it happened?"

Closing his eyes, the Professor nodded deeply. "Lody was taken," he said shortly, "To get at me."

Amulet nodded slowly, then shook her head. "No," she coughed, sending a tremor to rack her frail body. "There is…another reason. Team Rocket thought Lody had something that belonged to them. Something...something they could not risk falling into the hands of others."

"Amulet?" The Professor's voice had grown nearly as quiet as the Espeon's.

I gulped convulsively. And here I had been, thinking that all Amulet had wanted to do was keep her last promise to Lody: to tell Lody's father what had happened to her. "What are you sayin', Ami?" I asked slowly.

"Lody…Shane…" Amulet broke off, already short of breath and exhausted from the effort of talking. 

"Shane?" I pressed. "What about Shane?"

"The night…before Lody left," Amulet started again. "She saw Shane and Gauntal…using the computer. Looking at some…strange files." The Espeon paused for breath before continuing. "I had come downstairs looking for Lody…and was watching…from the stairway."

Charm rushed forward with a bowl of water, which Amulet lapped at gratefully. "Lody was suspicious of Shane…Shane was suspicious of Lody…" the Espeon went on at last. "After Lody and Shane had fallen asleep, I…I went back downstairs on my own. I turned on the computer…and…and…"

"Go on, Amulet," I said, giving her paw an encouraging squeeze. 

"I wanted to know what Shane…had been doing," Amulet finished, stopping for another sip of water. "I couldn't make any sense of it…so I…I made a copy of his files to look at later. Only…Shane…he found out I'd copied them…only…only, he thought Lody did it. He kidnapped her because…because he thought she had them with her."

The Professor stood up with a start. "Where is this copy now, Amulet?" he asked in a low voice.

Amulet started to her feet and disappeared into the kitchen, returning moments later with a small dish in her mouth. "I had it hidden under my food bowl all this time," she said softly, laying it on the desk. "If only Shane had thought to look…or if I had, or if I had..."

Professor Koreyu took the small disk in his hands, examining it carefully. "They kidnapped my daughter for this?" he said, an edge of fury, but also one of curiosity, in his voice. Cautiously, he placed the disk on the edge of the desk before reaching over to turn on another computer.

"Don't you see?" Amulet said, tears welling up in her eyes. "They wouldn't have…taken Lody if I didn't…oh, Lody! It was me all along. It's all my fault!"

"It wasn't, Amulet," Charm said, patting the Espeon's back comfortingly. "We'll get Lody back now, don't worry."

"I…I should have said something before," Amulet cried, voice gaining back its strength and intensity with every word. "On the helicopter, I could've told Shane. I should've told him…right then and there. Only I was so scared they come here and destroy the house…hurt you and Lody anyway. Oh, why did I have to be so scared?" She broke down into silent, shaking sobs.

"Amulet, Amulet, it's okay, girl," Pika said, wiping the tears from the Espeon's face with its own paw. "No one blames you."

"I do!" she countered, shaking the tears angrily from her face. "I'm a horrible, useless Pokémon to do this to my trainer. Would you have done something like this to Ash, Pika? Or you to Kayley, Charm? If I had made myself more like you..."

"Amulet, please." Charm's voice was strained.

"Gauntal…even Gauntal would have never let Shane end up like Lody," Amulet choked out, sobs turning into hiccups. "Gauntal knows what a traitor I am, and so does Shane. Shane…I could feel Shane watching me when he told me to leave Lody by herself. He was testing me. And hesaw the guilt on my face when I abandoned Lody, oh, and I bet he relished it." 

"That can't be true, Amulet," Professor Koreyu said as he popped Amulet's disk into the drive.

"I know," the Espeon said sorrowfully, swiping at a stray tear. "It was selfish of me to say that. Shane's not the one to blame. I am."

"No, I mean it was completely impossible for Shane to be watching you at all."

"Why?" Amulet stifled her sniffles. "I don't understand."

Sighing heavily, the Professor put his hands on the arms of his chairs before turning to face Amulet. "Shane's been blind from birth," he stated matter-of-factly. "He needs Gauntal to act as a guide dog."

My jaw dropped all the way down to my knees. "You're kidding!"

"No, I am most certainly not. Despite my dubious reputation."

"Pi! Chu! Chu!" Picassy shrilled, jumping up and down on top of my head. 

"You thinkin' what I'm thinkin', Cass?" Bryar asked, extending a vine whip to scoop the Pichu onto its back. "I think we just found the only way to stop Wonder Boy Rising."


	14. Lody: Meet the Castaways

Star in the Storm, Chapter 13

Lody- "Meet the Castaways"

* * *

"C'mon Shane! Beat Chimera!"

"You'd better beat her! If the Leader finds out you failed us…"

Reb crossed his arms and yawned. "Pokémon battles," he said dismissively, "are a boring waste of time. Rising, you laggard; you should have made short work of that girl hours ago."

"I'd like to see you up here," Shane answered good-naturedly. "Poseidon!" he called calmly out to his Starmie. "Confuse Ray!"

A flash of light emerged from the Starmie's ruby gem and hovered into the space of air between Shane's Pokémon and my charging Tyranitar. Throwing sizzling sparks in every direction, the Confuse Ray attack zoomed forward and sent Sahra flying forcibly back.

"Good one, Poseidon!" Dissembler yelled. "Wow, look at that, folks! Shane's Starmie sent out a Confuse Ray attack, evading Tyranitar's Crunch and simultaneously Confusing it! Will this state of Confusion wear off in time for Lody to make another move? Let's hope not."

"Will you quit doing that already!" Ruki roared. 

"But Ruki," Dissembler protested in surprise. "I thought you wanted her to lose."

Ruki's fists clenched so tightly that her knuckles turned white. "Of course I want her to lose, you idiot!" the older girl snapped. "But at least give the girl a fighting chance!"

"Ruki and her twisted sense of honor," Reb said wryly, shaking his head. "Sure, why not? I'll root for the underdog. Region knows, they need it." Cupping his hands around his mouth, the boy began to call out into the air. "C'mon, Lody! Show Rising a thing or two."

Chip was the next to pick it up, less than a second later. "Lody! Lody!" he chanted, jumping up and down beside his sister. "You're the ultimate battler in the…uh, entire universe!"

With an impish grin, even Dissembler threw down her imaginary microphone and stared cheering. "Go, Lody, go! Girrrl power!" she screamed out happily, doing a little dance on the sidelines.

Only Ruki, with her steely eyes and clenched fists, refused to say a word. But I thought I saw the faintest trace of a smile glimmer through her eyes.

"You have some strange friends," I informed Shane icily. "Or are changing loyalties part of being in Team Rocket?"

Shane cocked his head, then smiled back in a stately manner. "Oh, we like rooting for losers," he said casually. "And it's just that Team Rocket is usually the one who loses. But not any more. Go, Poseidon! Thunderbolt attack!"

_Loser? I'll show him loser. _

"Sahra, shake off that Confusion!" I yelled as a bolt of electricity came hurtling towards my Tyranitar. Sahra turned its great head towards me, waved dopily, then spun back to face Poseidon, all the while seeming a bit unsteady on its feet.

The Thunderbolt streaked past Sahra's tough outer skin with a sharp crackle. 

She didn't even flinch. Baring her teeth, the Tyranitar stepped forward and bellowed mightily.

"And it looks like Lody's Sahra has thrown off its Confusion at last!" Dissembler crowed into her imaginary microphone. "Way to go!" 

"Sahra!" I yelled. My heart was racing wildly, for victory was now right within my grasp. "Use Hyper Beam! Now!"

With an enormous explosion that rocked the very ground we stood on, the Tyranitar reared back, then fell forward again, delivering a brilliant blast of light from between its jaws. 

Poseidon didn't have a chance.

Shane's Starmie was hurtled violently into the air and out of the battlefield. Spinning uncontrollably, it crashed into a faraway tree and skid to the ground, the ruby gem at its center blinking sporadically.

"And Poseidon is DOWN!" Dissembler shouted triumphantly. "Lody Chimera WINS the match!"

Cries of "Lody! Lody!" rang through the air and echoed back again and again. The Team Rocket Castaways were cheering for _ me_, elated in my victory against their fellow teammate.

Recalling Sahra, I ran forward to where Shane was checking his Starmie for injuries. He looked up as I came and smiled.

"Is Poseidon…is it okay?"

"Poseidon will be fine," Shane replied, recalling his Starmie. "It looks like you won the match after all, Lody Chimera. I keep my promises. What's your choice, Lody? Will you join the TRC or not?"

Now that the initial thrill of winning had finally started to wear off, I looked at Shane through new, clearer eyes. 

Shane was a skilled battler. Everyone had known and admitted that freely. So why had I, a trainer who had only battled once before in her entire life, won against him?

Images and scenes flashed in rapid succession before my eyes. Shane healing my Arcanine with the Antidote, and offering for me to leave the newly cured Pokémon in the match. Shane exposing his Dragonite's critical weakness and letting me exploit it to my full advantage. And finally, in that last round; Poseidon's streaking Thunderbolt attack deflecting harmlessly off my Tyrantiar's rocky skin. Shane could have used a Water attack and finished Sahra off right then and there. Instead, he had given Sahra a chance to recover from her Confusion and retaliate. 

Did Shane feel sorry for my Poisoned Arcanine, or the way the rest of the TRC rooted against me? Or was he simply too slow to realize and correct the mistakes he'd made?

No. Shane had set up every single one of those incidents. He'd given me an opportunity every single round to take the advantage against him. And I'd done so more than once, unaware that I was playing a rigged match. 

Shane wanted me to join the TRC, for some reason unbeknownst to me and probably his teammates as well. I snuck a quick peek at the rest of the TRC members, who were coming up behind us, waving and cheering. Did they suspect what Shane had done?

"What was your answer, Lody?" Shane said, forcing me to look back. "I don't think I caught it."

"Oh," I said, swallowing. The door lay open before me now. I could remain a captive. 

Or I could become a member of Team Rocket. From there, I knew I'd be able to find a way to escape. I had no loyalties to any illegal organizations whatsoever. I could even do some spy work against them.

"Okay, Shane," I said, taking his hand and shaking it firmly. "I'm in."

"Really! That's so totally great!" Dissembler squealed, swiveling me around and pulling me to my feet. "Hey, everybody! We've got a new member of the TRC!" she yelled, twirling me around exuberantly in a little dance across the field.

Reb grimaced. "I'd start running now if I were you, Lody," he said dryly. "Next thing you know, Dissembler'll get you rigged up in one of her affected so-called uniforms…."

"Do you like black or silver better, Lody?" Dissembler asked, causing everybody to break up into uproarious laughter.

As we headed back across the field, I caught the steely, suspicious eye of none other than wildcat Ruki. She looked away quickly enough, but that one moment had been enough. 

Ruki was beginning to suspect what Shane had done. Or she already knew.

* * *

"Ta da!" Dissembler crowed several hours later, pushing me forward into the room. I, for my part, planted myself firmly in the doorway and refused to budge. 

"I look like an idiot, Dissembler," I stated plainly.

"Nonsense!" the other girl laughed, slapping me on the back. "Go on, Lody. Show everybody your new uniform."

Reluctantly, I slunk forward a few more inches in a half-hearted slump.

The rest of the TRC were arranged in various positions about the room, all attending to their various tasks. Reb was bent over a new pile of diagrams and sketching busily away with a pencil stub. Ruki and Chip were practicing several fighting moves on a punching bag in the back of the room. "Not like that, squirt," I could hear Ruki telling her young pupil. "You need more force. Like this!"

With a loud crash, the punching bag went soaring into the air, knocking a nearby lamp into the wall and startling Gauntal into a bark.

"Not again, Ruki," Shane chuckled from where he and Gauntal were resting by the heater. 

"Like this?" Chip asked, copying his sister. With another wild swing, the bag sent the table the lamp had been resting on moments before clattering to the ground.

Shane shook his head, smiling tolerantly.

"Hey, everybody!" Dissembler called, waving her arms up and down wildly. "Look at Lody's new uniform! I made it myself!"

A few indifferent faces glanced briefly in my direction, then were forced to stifle small chuckles. I groaned inwardly. Now I knew why no one, save for Dissembler, went out in full Rocket regalia. Tight gloves and tall boots covered my arms and legs, making me uncomfortably hot in the warm room. And the large red 'R' emblazoned on my shirt felt especially conspicuous, giving me a sinking feeling just staring down at it.

"You look, er, nice," Shane said with a grin. "I hope."

Dissembler swatted him on the head with the side of her hand. "Don't mind Shane," she sniffed. "He doesn't know anything. Now everybody, sit down on the floor. Dissembler's got some nice presents for you, straight from Goldenrod City!"

"I hope you didn't steal anything," Reb commented wryly as the assorted TRC members arranged themselves into a large circle.

Taking a large pack and setting it reverently in the center of the circle, Dissembler snapped open one compartment and emerged with a set of new drawing pencils. "These are for you, Reb. And yes, I paid for them out of my own pocket money."

The boy's blue eyes lit up as he reached for the pencils. "Those are perfect for my new design of the TRC-16!" he exclaimed happily. 

"The TRC-what?" Chip said, looking up confusedly.

"He means the copter, squirt," Ruki replied, punching her little brother gently in the arm.

"Not so fast!" Dissembler cried, holding the pencils out of Reb's reach. "Before you get your present, you have to introduce yourself to Lody. That way she'll get to know all of us better. Since I didn't get you a present, Lody, think of this as my gift to you." She winked impishly at this.

"I'm sure she'd prefer thinking of us as deranged lunatics and mental ward patients," Reb countered sarcastically. "As opposed to deranged lunatics and mental ward patients with whole life stories."

"Hang on, I think Dissembler's got a good idea there," Shane broke in. "Go on, Reb. It can't hurt."

Reb gazed longingly at the drawing pencils before heaving a great sigh. "For my poor TRC-16, I will lay my soul before you, Lody Chimera," he drawled reluctantly. "My name is Reb. I'm thirteen years old and enjoy designing machines for TRC use. Like my precious TRC-16. Anything else you want to rip out from me now?"

"Tell Lody how you became a member of the TRC," Dissembler urged, waving the pencils above Reb's face.

With another long-suffering sigh, the boy consented. "Oh, fine," he said, rolling his eyes pointedly. "When I was about ten or so, my family and I were driving down to the next city, where I was going to get my Pokémon license. We were on the highway, and it was getting a bit dark. Emile, my little sister, was doing something annoying again, chanting the Pokérap, I think."

"Electrode, Diglett, Nidoran…" Chip started off proudly. Ruki cut him off.

Reb rolled his eyes exaggeratedly before going on. "Well, anyway, we're just driving along, when this stupid Stantler steps out into the middle of the road and freezes there," he said bitterly, doing a deer-in-the-headlights imitation. "My father tried to turn the car away –he didn't want to hit the darn beast– but we crashed head-on into the Stantler anyway. I ended up like this." He gestured down at the wheelchair he was sitting in. "My mom, my dad, and Emile died. And you know the thing that really gets me? That idiot Stantler survived!"

Dissembler shifted uncomfortably in her seat. "Uh, you can just talk about the part where you joined the TRC, Reb," she said hesitantly.

"Fine. The people that saved me were TRC members. You and you, in fact," he said, pointing to Ruki and Dissembler in turn. "They said something along the lines of 'Hey, do you want to join this super-secret organization that gets to torture those stupid Pokémon that you hate so much'? How could I refuse?" Sitting sullenly back in his chair, Reb rolled his eyes yet again. "Now that you've listened to my whole sob story, can I please have my pencils now?" he demanded. 

Dissembler tossed them to him without a word.

"Next is a present for you, Chipper," she said, reaching into the pack again. "But first, you have to tell Lody about yourself."

"Okay," Chip agreed eagerly. "I'm Chip and I'm six years old." He held up six fingers and wiggled them to demonstrate. "I like brownies, popcorn, and all kinds of Pokémon. My big sister is Ruki and she's the bestest big sister in the entire world. Can I have my present now?"

"Sure," Dissembler said, handing the little boy what looked suspiciously like an old-school PokéBall. With a squeal of delight, Chip grabbed the PokéBall and pressed the silvery button at its side. With a flash of brilliant red light, a small, furry Pokémon emerged. And almost instantly, it jumped forward to lick Chip's grinning face.

Gauntal barked out in surprise, causing Shane to frown. "Dissembler," he said sternly. "Don't tell me that was one of the Eevee we picked up on our latest raid."

"Oh, Shane!" Dissembler giggled. "Hear how much fun Chip's having? It's about time he got a little Pokémon friend to play with. And recite the Pokérap to. Someone to keep him company when the rest of us are off on another mission."

Ruki's face softened as she petted Chip's new Eevee. "Thank you, Dissembler," she said grudgingly. "You did good on this one."

"I always do!" Dissembler stated proudly. Reaching back into her pack, she pulled out a carefully wrapped parcel and waved it at Ruki. "This one's for the resident wildcat," she said with a playful grin. "You know the drill, girl. Tell Lody about yourself."

Ruki sighed and turned to me. "My name is Ruki and I'm Chip's older sister," she growled. "I'm sixteen years old and can beat up anybody in this sad group with one arm tied behind my back. And don't they forget it!" she snarled, looking daggers at Dissembler.

"Tsk, tsk, Ruki has such a temper," Dissembler chided. "Now, how did you and Chip join the TRC, Ruki?"

Eyes blazing, Ruki spat out in enraged tones, "My parents died when Chip was just a baby! Either that, or they left us to starve on the streets, I'll never really know. Then Miss Goldilocks comes along and offers us a roof over our heads and three square meals a day, in exchange for working with some organization called Neo Team Rocket, which personally, I'd never heard of before." She pointed accusingly at Dissembler. "So that's why I'm here, instead of sleeping out in the street," she said bitterly. "Is that good enough for you, Curly?"

"Stellar, Ruki!" Dissembler answered, throwing the package in her direction. "Open it!"

Tearing off the brown paper with her fingernails and teeth, Ruki looked down to find a pair of orangey-gold gloves resting in a cloud of tissue paper. 

"Gloves, Dissembler?" she asked. "What's with the gloves?"

Dissembler slipped one over her own hand and flexed her index finger. Instantaneously, a pointed silver claw shot out of the glove's fingertip, glittering dangerously in the dim light. "Not just any gloves," she said proudly, taking a swipe at the air. "Wildcat gloves, guaranteed to boost your fighting potential by 101%! I happened to hear this one shady-looking character bragging about these here gloves, so I challenged him to a game of chance."

"Which would be?"

Dissembler grinned. "Slots. I was in the Goldenrod Game Corner. You should've been there! I beat that guy about a million coins to one! I was so good, I practically had coins coming up to my elbows." 

"Rigged another machine, I see," Reb said sarcastically. "Ever since our last assignment in Celadon, Dissembler can't get enough of cheating at slots."

"Hey, I'm good at it!" the other girl protested. "And look, I managed to buy some spiffy new TMs for our local battling champ!" Rummaging through her pack, she held up three small boxes, each labeled with a small golden number. "Blizzard, Thunder, and Fire Blast!" she announced proudly. "They can all be yours, Shane Rising, for the incredibly low price of one life story."

Shane smiled and laid a hand on Gauntal's head. "I'm Shane Rising and I'm twelve years old," he began smoothly. "I do a lot of Rocket infiltration work. My earliest assignment was to Blackthorn City, where I posed as a Junior Trainer to the Gym Leader Clair Rising. Clair was given the impression I had no family, and consequently decided to adopt me. Which is why my surname is now Rising. And about joining the TRC, I didn't really have a choice. My…family, like Dissembler's, has been in Team Rocket for generations."

I turned to Dissembler curiously, who had put a hand behind her head sheepishly. "That's right, isn't it!" she cried. "I haven't said a word about myself! Well, let's see. My name's Dissembler…well, my code name's Dissembler. See, we're all supposed to have code names, only the other guys don't remember to use 'em, ever."

"Don't remind me!" Reb called out sarcastically.

Dissembler stuck out her tongue at him. "Well, I'll be turning twelve in a couple of months," she continued. "And apparently, I'm the only one who ever cares about sticking to Team Rocket customs. It runs in the family, you know. My mother was one of the best agents Team Rocket ever had! Unfortunately, she and my dad were blown up in one really dangerous mission, and I've been on my own ever since."

"I'm the one who started the TRC, in fact, as a specialty division for Team Rocket members who didn't really fit in as normal members of Team Rocket," Dissembler added quickly. "Like if they were too young to be considered a real Rocket or didn't really wanna mix with some of the meaner members."

Ruki snorted. "That's why we're called the Team Rocket Castaways," she said bitterly. "Just like everybody else, nobody here wants us around."

"That's not true!" Dissembler protested. "The TRC has been one of the most successful divisions in the entire Team. We do mostly infiltration work --kids like us can get away with almost anything-- but Reb's got it made with designing new tech stuff and Ruki's good whenever we need some brute force."

"Thanks a lot," Ruki growled, rolling her eyes.

Dissembler shot her a cheerful thumbs-up sign and cleared her throat. "I'll like all of you to know I rewrote the TRC motto to include our newest member, Lody Chimera!" she announced triumphantly, standing up and striking a pose in the middle of the room.

A chorus of groans and moans rose up from the others. "Please, not the motto!" Reb called out. "Anything but that!"

Dissembler cleared her throat again, more loudly this time, and began to recite from memory.

"Prepare for trouble, more than you can dream!

You're in for a struggle, once you've met our team!

Shane's the fearless leader, Dissembler's got the flair,

Witness Ruki's nerves of steel, plus her icy glare.

Chip here's our wonder kid, Reb's the techie ace.

Lody, our newest member's, soon to carve her place!

Though we're from different backgrounds, we've set our sights!

Beware, the Castaways are prepared to fight!"

"Eevee!" Chip's Pokémon chirped happily. Gauntal, too, chimed in with an enthusiastic "Umbreon!"

"You've got that right!" Chip giggled as the Eevee jumped up and curled itself around his shoulder. 

"Is it over yet?" Reb asked, peeking tentatively out from under his hands. "Geez, Dissembler. Do you know how positively degrading it is to be referred to as a 'techie ace'?" 

"Poetic license!" Dissembler countered with a sniff. "Did you like it, Lody?"

I grasped for something to say. "Very…er, creative," I approved.

"Somebody tell me why we have to have a motto again," Ruki said, glaring at Dissembler. True to Dissembler's words, Ruki had one of the iciest glares I'd ever encountered.

"It's a grand Team Rocket tradition!" Dissembler announced proudly. "Hey, you know, Silver Star hasn't heard it yet! And I still have to give her a present! C'mon guys, it's about time for Lody to meet our final member!"

"No way," Ruki said, shifting her icy glare from Dissembler to me. "Lody can't know about…"

"She's a TRC member, Ruki," Shane said in that familiarly light voice of his. "She has a right to know."

Sullen, but silent, Ruki bowed her head and let me file out the door behind Dissembler. After what seemed an hour's walk through the dark, twisting hallways, during all of which I could feel Ruki's surly glare burning at the back of my neck, we came upon a tall metal door hidden at the end of one empty corridor. Painted on its surface in bright red letters were the words "KEEP OUT!"

Apparently, these words didn't apply to the TRC. Knocking loudly on the door, Dissembler called through the keyhole, "Nurse Hope? Nurse Hope! It's us, the TRC. We're here to see Silver Star!"

A rush of footsteps sounded on the other side, and moments later, a young redheaded woman unbolted the door and slid it open the tiniest fraction of an inch. "Password?" she asked brusquely. 

Shane stepped forward, Gauntal's leash in his hand. "Star in the storm," he said in a clear, smooth voice. 

With a nod, the nurse beckoned us inside.

Most of the TRC members crowded around the small bed at the center of the room, but Shane held me back with an outstretched arm. "You're a member of Team Rocket now, Lody," he whispered to me. "It's your responsibility to return what belongs to us."

I stared at him. "What are you talking about?"

Shane's voice remained as smooth and polished as ever, but now there was just the slightest edge to his tone. "The files on Silver Star, Lody! You're about to see Silver Star in person, Lody. Why hold on to those files?"

"What files?"

Shane's voice pitched itself just the slightest bit lower than necessary. "Don't take me for a fool, Lody Chimera," he hissed. "I know you have them. You were watching me when I brought them up, that night in the Professor's lab. Lody, listen. We can't let other people get their hands on those files! If they ever do, it would put the entire organization at risk. Silver Star, most of all."

"Shane," I said, mimicking his low, deadly-serious voice. "I swear I don't know what you're talking about. I have nothing that belongs to you. It wasn't me that took your files!"

Shane stopped, face contorted. "You're telling the truth, aren't you?" he whispered.

Gauntal whimpered in the back of its throat.

"That's why you wanted me in Team Rocket, isn't it?" I said disgustedly. "You thought I had your silly files, and that I'd be forced to give them back as soon as I joined."

Shane bowed his head. "I've made a grave mistake," he whispered, more to himself than to anyone else. "Lody…"

"Does this mean I go back to being a hostage?" I challenged angrily.

Shane was silent for a moment, then shook his head. "The TRC does not go back on its word," he stated firmly. "Now come. I want you to meet the last member of our little group. Lody Chimera, meet Silver Star."

* * *

**Notes:**

My gratitude goes to Mystical Star, who kindly reviewed my story. And as always, to Theo 'Blitz' Leung, who must be the most dedicated reader on FanFiction.Net. Don't worry about pestering me with reviews; taking the time to read my story _and _give me your comments on it is exactly what I hope for people to do!


	15. Roary: A Real Master

Star in the Storm, Chapter 14

Roary- "A Real Master"

* * *

Something was tickling my nose when I woke up at last. 

Jolting up into a sitting position, I sneezed, which sent my tear ducts streaming and made my eyes blur. Nearby, a light breeze was ruffling the blinds on the window, clicking them with a sharp "rat-tat-tat" against the pane.

Getting to my feet, I ambled over and shoved the window closed, but not before sticking my head out into the night air. 

When exactly had it gotten so dark? And where was everybody else?

Then I heard it: the faint sound of Picassy's sniffling little snores on the floor behind me. And everything came back in a great huge flood.

Lody was gone, kidnapped by some evil group of villainous villains that was supposed to have gone out of commission twenty years ago. Dad would be steaming pretty badly by now; he'd always hated not finishing things right the first time. But knowing Dad, he'd be up and raring to take another shot at Team Rocket-Sprocket in no time at all. 

Just thinking about it gave me a warm, secure feeling deep inside. There isn't anything my dad can't do, once he puts his mind to it. If Team Pocket knew what was good for them, they'd give up Lody in an instant and run as fast as they could in the other direction. 'Cause when Dad goes on a rampage, he's about as stoppable as a stampeding Tauros with a third-degree bee sting. 

If there is such a thing as a third-degree bee sting, that is.

Picassy's snores kind of wuffed out of existence. An instant later, a familiar pair of sharp little claws was digging into my shoulder, and the little Pichu was peering curiously over my head.

"I think we've both had a pretty good sleep, don't you?" I asked Cass with a weak grin. "Man, though…we must have been out for hours. What time is it?"

"Chu'pi!" Picassy announced, ticking off numbers on its little paws. "Pi, pi, pi, pi…"

I got the point after about the twelfth or thirteenth count. "You're kidding?" I groaned. "That late already? Oh great, I wonder what the others are up to!" Bursting with renewed energy, I scrambled out the door, poor Picassy barely able to cling onto my shoulder. 

But once in the hallway, I skidded to a stop in mid dash. For sprawled all over the floor, snoring so loudly I was surprised the whole building didn't come down around my head, was a vast assortment of sleeping Pokémon. The long day had definitely taken its toll on everyone.

Gulping, I edged my way around Pika's curled up body and Bryar's large, hulking mass. The scariest part was when I almost stepped on Bryar's tail (again), but fortunately clutched at the wall and fell back just in time. 

The sleeping Meganium was mumbling little words under its breath as it turned onto its side. "Vine whip…I'll show you Vine Whip…" Bryar muttered drowsily, lashing out with its long whips and nearly catching me over the leg. I froze until the whips lay flat again, Bryar still mumbling away in indistinguishable Pokémon talk.

"Pichu'ooo!" Picassy hissed, tugging impatiently at my ponytail. 

"Ow! What is it, Cass?"

Picassy screwed up its face and made some wild gestures with its paws. "Chu'ooo! 'Ooo!" it said over and over again, paws flying about as if the poor Pichu was trying to conduct some invisible symphony. Bringing its paws to its mouth at last, it held them there for an instant before glancing impatiently back at me.

I scratched my head. After this whole thing with Lody was all over, I should really get Rowan Chimera to teach me a few words in Fulgent Rodentia. As in Pika-Pichu talk.

Picassy and I stood there silently in the hallway for a moment, staring perplexedly at one another. Suddenly, the little Pichu leapt from my shoulder and scurried back down the hall.

"Cass, wait!" I called, dancing my way hastily around the sleeping Pokémon. "Slow down!" I caught up with my Pichu at the very end of the long corridor, nervous and sweaty from my efforts.

Grinning mischievously, Picassy pointed to a door I hadn't noticed before, half-hidden in the shadows and open just the tiniest crack. Poking my head through, I felt a cold swirl of air brush my face and caught just the faintest snatches of someone playing the harmonica.

"You want to go outside?" I asked Picassy. "To the roof?"

The Pichu nodded eagerly. Scooping Picassy into my arms, I headed up the concrete steps and out onto the open roof of the Pallet Lab.

Drake was already there, elbows on knees, playing a bright, lively tune on his tarnished old harmonica. Beside him sat Fireball the Charmander, its blue tail flame flickering in the breeze and throwing erratic shadows across the roof. The Charmander's head shot up as we approached, and its small body just sort-of all tensed up at once. A split second later, Fireball was on its feet, flame flaring and eyes smoldering.

"Relax," I said, putting a hand up and just keeping myself from taking an uneasy step back. "It's only me and Picassy. What're you guys doin' up here, anyways?" 

The song that had been coming from Drake's harmonica broke off, fading into the wind as the boy looked up and saw us standing there. "We couldn't sleep," he said with a shrug. "Not indoors, at any rate. Fireball and I are used to being outside, with the wind and the stars."

"Have you lived at Charicific Valley your entire life, then?"

Drake shook his head and put a hand on Fireball's shoulder, forcing the Charmander to relax. "Fireball and I are travelers," he answered. "We journey the regions in search of new songs and friends. But we always come back to the Valley."

"So that's why you're so good with that harmonica!" I concluded with a grin. Taking a seat next to Drake, I set Picassy in my lap and continued talking. "That song you were playing before, it sounded like you were really…I don't know. Into it."

"I get that way about a lot of songs," Drake replied with a sigh. "There's always some story woven behind these songs, and that's the kind of story Fireball and I try to seek out when we search for them. In a way, the stories are one of the best parts of the search."

This was going way over my head, but I smiled anyway and said, "So what's the story behind the song you were playing before?"

" 'A Real Master'?" Bringing the harmonica back to his mouth, Drake played a few more strains of the song before breaking off once more. "What do you think?" he challenged with a friendly grin.

"Pichu, pichu?" Picassy said, cocking its ears.

"Um, something 'bout a real master?" I tried hesitantly. "Hey, it makes sense!" I informed a giggling Picassy indignantly.

Drake's smile widened. And to my astonishment, he began to sing the same tune he had played before; voice soft at first, but steadily growing louder. 

_"Through my life,_

_I'll take a chance and brave the fight,_

_Clear my jumps,_

_And soar to any height._

_Like a true Master!_

_Bold and true_

_Win my way through._

_A real_

_Master."_

A light pattering of footsteps sounded up the stairs to the rooftop as Drake fell silent. Twisting about, I spotted a gaunt figure standing in the doorway, large eyes glowing even in the shadows that surrounded them.

"How are you tonight, Amulet?" Drake said, beckoning the Espeon forward. With a slow stride, the Pokémon obliged. Curling up into a tight ball, head resting on paws, Amulet rolled her eyes back to gaze into the night sky. 

"I once told Lody that the stars never shone their brightest here," she said pensively. "Now I think I might have just been fooling myself." Sighing heavily, the Espeon buried her muzzle in her paws, letting her long ears droop across her back.. "Oh, Lody," she whispered sadly to herself. "What I wouldn't give to have you back right now."

"They'll find her," I assured Amulet without hesitation. "We'll find her, Ami. She'll be back here before you know it, and we'll have taken down those loser Rocket-Sprockets to boot! Lody will be so proud of us. Proud of you, Amulet, if you don't worry yourself sick over her."

"Pi, pi!" Picassy grimaced, tugging at my sleeve. Face contorted, it shook its head firmly from side to side.

"Oops, me and my big mouth again," I laughed nervously. "I didn't mean anything by that, Amulet."

"I know, Roary," Amulet replied, settling herself back onto her haunches. "And I think you're right. I'm no use to anyone by sitting here and sulking over what I could have done before. I need to do something to help my trainer _now_." The Espeon's large eyes shone in the darkness she raised her nose skyward. "Lody, I know you're out there!" she called out into the night sky. "And as soon as we find out where you are, I'm coming for you!"

A huge rush of wind drowned out the last of Amulet's words. Staring over the edge of the roof, I saw a sleek-feathered Pidgeot touchdown on the ground far below, followed by several hovercrafts, and indistinct shapes that could only be other Flying Pokémon. A shadowy rider jumped down from the Pidgeot's back and recalled its Pokémon before heading towards the front door. Behind it, a whole hoard of other shadow figures was coming, making for one of the strangest midnight sights that had ever graced the hill of the Pallet Lab.

"We'd better get downstairs!" I called to the others, making a dash for the rooftop stairs. "C'mon, you guys!"

Tiptoeing around the sleeping Pokémon in the hall and practically tumbling down the stairway, I froze in my tracks before reaching the second landing. Behind me, Drake, Fireball, and Amulet barely avoided crashing into my back.

"Pichu? Chu-chu?" Picassy demanded, climbing back onto my head.

I pointed down the foyer below. Illuminated in the lobby light, Professor Koreyu had already opened the door and was admitting a long stream of tired and travel-worn adults. The head of which was the Pidgeot's rider and Lody's mother, Rowan Chimera.

"I'm sorry I took so long getting back," Rowan said to the Professor. "But I decided to bring a couple of old friends along. We're going to need all the help we can get."

"I've been traveling all night long from Shamouti," a woman with long brown hair yawned, rubbing her eyes with her fists like a schoolgirl. "Don't know what you think an ol' girl like me can do, but I'll be glad to stick around, just in case."

"We're ready when you are," a man with purple-colored hair affirmed, patting the laptop slung over his back. "What should we do now?"

Professor K. barely managed to stifle a yawn. "A friend of Ash's daughter has got his Charizard surveillance team out and searching for Lody," he explained, going on to quickly detail Drake's plan. "Meanwhile, the police are doing all they can to sniff out Team Rocket."

A dark-haired man with a sketchpad in one hand in a pencil in the other snorted not so quietly. "For all the good that will do," he scoffed. I recognized him as Tracey Sketchit, one of Dad's old childhood friends. "I know everything that the police do," Tracey continued, flipping open the sketchpad and waving about what were probably pages and pages of extremely detailed notes (I was too far away to confirm this myself). "And I know nada about the new and improved Team Rocket. Except that they should have been wiped out long before things ever got this far."

"_We_ should have never let our guard down!" a woman with sweeping dark hair snapped. Everything about her, from her stiff posture to her clipped voice, had an aura of command about it. It was Serena (or Sabrina, or something of the sort), the woman I gotten the package from a couple days back. 

"No one could have known Team Rocket would resurface!" Tracey shot back, several pages of his sketchpad fluttering loose and flying all over the floor. "Not like this, at any rate!"

A huge argument erupted right then and there, with all the adults bickering and yelling at each other like Bryar and Pika do over who has to clean the dinner dishes. Behind me, Drake, Fireball, and Amulet stood and watched silently. None of us made a single move down the stairs.

"Everybody, please!" the Professor was yelling over the noise. "We can't afford fighting among ourselves, especially while we should be directing our attentions towards an even greater enemy!"

"Who would've thought Team Rocket would ever amount to anything more than a bunch of lowlife slowpokes?" a redheaded woman near the front of the room posed thoughtfully. Around her, all the adults were shaking their heads and agreeing with her.

Picassy gave a small cry of excitement, and I hugged the Pichu close. That woman was my father's friend, Misty Waterflower. She lives all the way down at the Pokémon Land Theme Park, and takes her work very seriously. She would've never even considered coming here in the middle of the night, not for anything less than a full-fledged apocalypse. 

Amulet moved up to take a place beside the railing. Her body was trembling so badly that she practically had to lean against the wall. "These are all the people who were at Kayley Mindstar's gathering," the Espeon said faintly. 

"What about it, Amulet?" I whispered back. 

The Espeon moaned, shaking her head and refusing to say anymore.

"Kayley Mindstar?" Drake was muttering to himself, clutching at the stair railing and gazing down with narrowed eyes. At his side, Fireball moved a little closer to the boy and put a steadying paw on his knee.

Drake finally let go of the railing, and as he raised his head, I saw his tanned face had paled to an ashen grey. By a Chansey with two eggs," he said faintly, shaking his head in disbelief. "You've met Kayley Mindstar?" he whispered to us.

I shrugged unconcernedly. "I saw her, like, once in my entire life. It was at the meeting that Amulet was talking about, at the Coliseum."

"Tell me," Drake said quietly, squeezing Fireball's paw for support. "Was there a man at this meeting, a man with hair like mine? He may have had a Charizard with him, one that answers to the name of Blazer."

"Nope, can't say I've seen him. Why does the name Kayley Mindstar get everybody so up and antsy anyways?"

A small shadow fell over the ground at the head of the hall. Flame flickering in the dim light and sea-green eyes equally bright, Charm stood there with its paws folded. Its red bandanna had come askew, as if it had just woken and hadn't had time yet to tie it properly. "Roary, Drake? Fireball and Amulet?" the Charmander said in a soft, almost inaudible voice. "Why aren't you asleep at this hour?"

It was Fireball who answered. "Forgive us, Uncle Charm," it said with a hasty bow. "There is a meeting underway in the foyer. We were simply curious about the arrival of such a large number of people."

"I understand." Charm bent forward briefly to tie its bandanna. Giving the cloth a firm tug, it straightened and nodded towards us. "But creeping around back here like spies or saboteurs; all of you know that the adults would have requested your appearance if this matter was of your concern."

"But, Charm!" I protested. "Lody is just as much our concern as theirs. And we've met Kayley Mindstar, too! We know about her already!"

Charm's head snapped up so quickly I heard a sharp popping sound in its neck. "Kayley Mindstar?" it repeated, the effort of echoing these words alone making its voice tremble. Quickly regaining composure, the Charmander opened it mouth to say more. And it probably had quite a lot to say, believe me. But I never knew for sure, because at that very moment, a chorus of gasps and rising murmurs erupted from the gathering of adults below. 

Leaning far over the railing, I squinted at the illuminated computer screen all the adults were crowed around. All I could make out were some kind of diagrams, and lines and lines of small, cramped typing that I couldn't ever hope to read from where I was standing.

"What exactly is it, anyway?" the brown-haired woman from Shamouti demanded, voicing my exact thoughts.

Professor K. swerved around in his chair, and though I couldn't see his face too well, his voice was grim. "Something Amulet swiped off my old student, Shane Rising," he told the assembled crowd . 

"That Rocket boy," someone, I think it was Tracey, muttered disgustedly. 

The Professor went on to explain what Amulet had said about Shane thinking Lody had stolen the files herself. And how Lody might have been captured for this very reason. Beside me, Amulet had placed her paws on the railing and was peering expressionlessly down into the gathering below.

Unaware that I was holding my breath, I leaned so far over the railing that I almost knocked the wind from my stomach. No one had any doubt left in their minds that these files were crucial to Team Rocket. But what Professor K. was about to say surely none of us could expect.

"One generation ago, Team Rocket tried to achieve the unthinkable, to clone a Pokémon and a human child," the Professor said. "Now Team Rocket is on the move again. Apparently, this leader of our rejuvenated Rocket Org. isn't looking to clone Pokémon or humans. Instead, they want to Merge the two, creating beings of undreamed power."

A bunch of the people, including Tracey Sketchit, were shaking their heads in disbelief and confusion. "Team Rocket will continue to grow crazier and crazier," Tracey said incredulously. "Until they inevitably destroy themselves in the process."

"Heck," the Shamouti woman crowed. "We won't even need another Ash Ketchum!"

I bristled at the offhanded remark. 

"That's what I believed as well," Prof. K. admitted. "But these files prove otherwise. All of it…" He pounded the table surface that the computer was resting on with the flat of his palm. "All of it documents something called Project 'Star in the Storm,' the creation and development of one such Merger. A young girl-Espeon Merger whimsically named Silver Star. According to these files, said Silver Star is currently held under heavy security at the Rocket HQ." 

Sabrina's dark eyes flashed in her pale face. "Then this Silver Star is just as much a prisoner as Trilody," she stated decisively. 

With a haunted look in her eyes, Misty Waterflower began to tell the tale of another being created by Team Rocket, a poor, tortured Mew clone fancifully called Mewtwo. Mewtwo had been created solely for the purpose of serving Team Rocket, and upon learning of this, became violent with confusion and rage. It killed several scientists and almost the entire human race before it was finally stopped. 

As the story took shape, I listened with wide-eyed shock and amazement. No one had ever told me the story of Mewtwo before, nor the part my father had played in it.

"And then Ash ran in front of Mewtwo," Misty whispered, choking back on tears. "He had only the intention of ending the horrendous brutality that had ensued around them. But he was hit by an incoming attack, hit so badly that he was killed instantly upon impact."

I couldn't believe what I was hearing! Ash Ketchum, my father, was dead? How did that work?

"Then a most miraculous thing happened," Misty continued. "The tears cried by the assembled Pokémon somehow brought Ash back to life, just as a prophetess named Miranda had foretold in an old folktale." Swiping a tear from her eye, Misty went on to say that no Pokémon, clone or Merger, could ever be allowed to remain in Team Rocket hands. Under no excuse could anyone be allowed to risk the world in such a way again. 

All possible action, Misty declared, had to be taken to free Silver Star from under Team Rocket captivity.

"There is another aspect to this entire issue as well," Prof. K. said, adjusting his glasses before going on. "I'll be honest with you all, this new Merging technique may very well be the cure that Kayley Mindstar is in need of. Silver Star, as a living example of such, would be the perfect observation subject."

Shouts and angry accusations came from all corners of the room. Some people were shocked at the Professor's perception of Silver Star as a mere test subject. Others barraged him with indictments of conspiracy and supporting Team Rocket's desensitized attitudes. The Professor never had a chance to get a word in edgewise.

Charm, who had been silent in apprehension the entire time, took its paw from the supporting wall and stepped towards the staircase now. "Stay up here," it hissed to us, tail flame flickering edgily.

A slam of the door made me forget everything Charm had said. 

Standing in the doorway of the Pallet Town Lab was a man with dark, wind-tossed hair, wearing a frayed jacket and black shirt. Ignoring Charm's command as well as the mass of strange adults in the room below, I bolted down the stairs and ran forward.

"Daddy!" I grinned joyfully, jumping up to give my father a hug. "You came home!"

"Pichi, pi!" Picassy crooned happily from atop my head.

My father did not smile back. 

"Ash!" Misty Waterflower exclaimed, striding ahead of the others to meet the new arrival. "We were expecting you," she said with a weak smile.

"I had some unexpected difficulties getting back from Indigo Plateau," my father replied, setting me back down on the floor. "Seems as if everyone in security's worried about the reemergence of a certain Team Rocket." His black eyes flashed and he lowered his head at this.

"Pretty funny about that, huh Ash?" the Shamouti lady laughed lightly. "We all thought you beat them up pretty badly twenty some years ago. Turns out they were just waiting for a chance to come back, all this time."

"Melody!" Misty hissed reproachfully. She turned back to my father, all set on apologizing for Melody's outburst. "It's not your fault, Ash," she assured him quickly. "You're the last person anyone could blame. You did your best to stomp out Team Rocket. That's far more than we ever asked from you."

My dad didn't reply; instead he turned to Prof. K. and said, "Have you found the Rocket Headquarters yet, Chris?" 

Before the Professor could answer, there was a soft padding of footsteps behind me. Evidently, Charm, Drake, Amulet, and Fireball had decided it was time to come down, too. As if feeling the need to bond together, all four of them stood in a circle at the foot of the staircase, refusing to come another inch closer.

"_Have_ you found anything, Professor?" Drake said, echoing my dad's question. 

Running a hands through his unruly hair, Prof. K. shook his head wearily. "No luck so far," he answered with a sigh. "But we've just begun. To expect results immediately is irrational."

My dad nodded in silent agreement. "When you find out where they're hiding," he said, emphasizing the word _when_, "I will flush them out and finish what I should have years ago." 

"But what about Lody?" Rowan Chimera asked urgently. 

"And poor little Silver Star?" Misty added, worry creasing her pale brow.

My father looked every single person there squarely in the eye before replying. "They are victims of Team Rocket's evil," he said, voice firm and decisive, as always. "Of course, our first priority will be to rescue them. Then I will deal with Team Rocket." 

Silence followed the first few seconds after this announcement, then steady applause and encouraging cheers broke out from the assembled crowd. My dad stood tall in the midst of it all, and though he didn't smile or even seem to react, I couldn't help being reminded of his old Pokémon matches, back when Ash Ketchum was just an aspiring young Champion. Back then, Dad could really make the crowd thunder. 

_Roary,_ he told me once. _Roary, sometimes there's nothing a trainer finds sweeter than the roar of the crowd. It gets me every time, applause does. As a young trainer, I used to dream about packed stadiums and cheering audiences at the Pokémon League. But you know what, Roary? Great trainers don't do it for the crowd, they do it for themselves and their Pokémon. It takes something more than a shiny trophy or fancy title to make a Champion, Roary. You have to believe strongly in what you are doing to succeed._

Now, with his brilliant eyes and face flushed in fervor, my dad was the very image of greatness. A rising swell of pride bubbled up inside me as I stood there, cheering along with everyone else. Even though he wasn't the Champion anymore, my father still retained the attitude of a real master. 

At last, I understood what Drake had been talking about before. 

"I want to help, too!" I declared loudly. Picassy crowed happily into the air from its perch atop my shoulder.

It was Rowan Chimera who spoke at last. "I do think it would be wisest to send a child, someone like Roary, in first. Somebody less conspicuous, just to contact Lody and this Silver Star child beforehand. What do you say to that?"

"I'll go, too," Amulet's voice came from the side. With a burst of energy, the young Espeon strode forward to gaze determinedly into the faces of the crowd. 

"And I," Drake said, stepping forward. With his fiery hair and smoldering-eyed Charmander by his side, Drake Flamefoe certainly made quite an impression. 

There was a murmur of surprise as the boy came out of the shadows for the first time. Whispers of "Ashkoa's boy" and "looks just like his father" drifted up from the converging crowd of adults. Head held high, Drake managed to keep a firm grip on his composure.

"Well, that's decided then!" Professor K. announced. "Roary, Drake, and Amulet, once we find the Team Rocket HQ, you three will be the first to go. After you contact Lody and Silver Star, we'll be ready with reinforcements. Agreed?"

Rapid agreement came from all three of us. Amulet nodded, setting her long ears waggling, Drake bowed thankfully, and I simply grinned and pumped my fist into the air.

As the others began to discuss preparations for the invasion, I felt a gloved hand come to rest on my shoulder.

"I want you to know, Roary," my father began, "what you did was very brave. But you must promise to be careful."

"I will, Dad. Don't worry!"

With a slap on the back and a smile, my father left me to find Pika. I was still beaming to myself, hours later, when I finally fell asleep on the living room couch, lulled into unconsciousness by the steady drone of voices.

Dad's always been watching over me, ever since Mom died. Personally, I kind of appreciate the way my father looks after me, even if it means he can get a bit overprotective sometimes. But the tangled situation we had gotten ourselves plunked into was far different from anything we'd been through before.

Dad, I know, could never live with himself if I got hurt. Especially if it was because of something he failed to do long ago. 

* * *

**Notes:**

Drake's song for this chapter, "A Real Master", is of my own creation. It is not an actual Pokémon song.

Wait a sec, Misty's not supposed to know about Ash and Mewtwo, is she? Too late; should've kept my mouth shut and hoped nobody noticed; maybe Mewtwo restored their memories later on? Flimsy rationalizing, I know...


	16. Lody: Me and Me

Star in the Storm, Chapter 15

Lody- "Me and Me"

* * *

Not too long ago, I looked into the Eevee eyes of Kayley Mindstar, twin pools of glittering force and unfathomable darkness. At the time, this sight alone had inexplicably struck something deep within me. A lifetime of trial had been reflected in Kayley's eyes, years of hardship and sacrifice melded into the shaky existence of a single person. But there had been something more there as well, glimmering the dark depths of Kayley Mindstar's gaze. 

Someone else had been looking out through Kayley's eyes.

Now, as the crowd of TRC members parted before Shane and me, I was shocked to find the eyes of Kayley Mindstar staring steadily back at me again. Truth was, I should have been more astonished by their owner. 

Silver Star was no human child. Pale lavender skin shone on her slender limbs, including the dainty paws that protruded from the ends of her voluminous sleeves, and not to mention the willowy tail draped over the side of the bed. Closely-cropped hair the color of fading ocean fog curled around the creature's smooth face, shimmering a silvery sky-blue in the light of the fluorescent lamp. To top it off, broad, glossy-furred ears jutted out from the sides of Silver Star's head, letting long tufts of fur hang above her thin shoulders.

Like Kayley Mindstar, Silver Star's most noticeable features were the large dark eyes that dominated her small face. As I stood there, barely aware of how blatantly I was gaping, these eyes stared directly back into my paling face. 

Once again, I was struck by the strange feeling of facing two people in those eyes simultaneously, as if looking through a warped piece of glass. If I could only reach the other side, I'd find two individuals standing there and laughing together at my bafflement. 

When Silver Star spoke at last, I had the equally uncanny impression that there were two different voices talking, woven together to create one.

"You came!" Silver Star cried, eyes sparkling with pure delight. "Me and me have been waiting and waiting for you to come! The others didn't believe me, of course, but we knew you would come eventually. And here you are!"

One strand of Silver Star's voice sounded remarkably like that of an innocent young girl's. But her body was much taller and more nimble than that of a mere child's. Another element, something quick and powerful, had strengthened Silver Star. And simply by looking at the girl, I had a pretty clear idea of what. 

Silver Star was half human girl and half Espeon. Her premonitions of me, I reasoned, could be attributed to her Espeon's Psychic Element.

"What are you talking about, Silvie?" Dissembler laughed, slapping Silver Star on the back. "Lody just joined us! You never said a word about her before in your entire life, don't you lie to me!"

Silver Star giggled, the long ears atop her head wiggling back and forth in her mirth. "I saw you, Lody!" she informed me happily. "Well, the other me saw you first, and then me and me saw you together. We've been wanting to meet you forever and ever and…" A coughing spasm shattered her animated words and racked Silver Star's little body.

"Oh my! You poor dear!" In a flash, Nurse Hope was at Silver Star's side. "Take it easy, Silvie, take it easy," she murmured over and over again, soothing the Espeon girl. "Just stay put for a moment while Nurse Hopie goes and gets you something hot to drink."

"Me and me would like that," Silver Star murmured back, settling into bed once more.

"I've got something for you, Silvie," Dissembler said, pulling out her pack and opening the flap. Quickly, she emptied the bag of its contents: bottles and bottles of fresh Goldenrod MooMoo Milk. "When you get better, Silvie," Dissembler said as the other TRC members helped her to store the bottles away, "we'll make lots of MooMoo milkshakes!"

"And ice cream!" Chip added with a giggle.

"MooMoo desserts galore," Reb finished with a wry face, causing everyone to break out into laughter.

With a clearing of the throat, and a dramatic flourish, Dissembler proceeded to recite the newest version of the TRC motto to a rapt Silver Star, while the other TRC members hid their heads under their arms. Chip's new Eevee chose that moment to make its presence known by jumping into Silver Star's lap. 

"And who are you?" the Espeon girl said in a curious voice, listening attentively as the Eevee chattered away in breakneck Eonic. I had to strain to understand even half of what it was saying, but Silver Star had no such trouble. 

"His name's Pup and he says you're his best friend, Chip," Silver Star pronounced with a smile as Pup bounced off her lap and into Chip's open arms. 

Returning Silver Star's exuberant grin, Chip cuddled Pup close to his face and announced breathlessly, "We'll be like you someday, Silvie! Me and Pup!" Raising his new Pokémon high into the air, Chip's face seemed to glow with pride. In a high tremolo voice, the little boy began to sing to himself. "Pokémon! It's you and me! I know it's my destiny! Pokémon!" 

Dissembler, Silver Star, and even some of the older TRC members joined Chip. "Oh, you're my best friend! In a world we must defend!"

Red-faced and exuberant, the TRC proceeded to chat and laugh in a way I had never seen them do before. Even the normally tense Ruki seemed temporarily at ease. Was it Silver Star's presence that somehow enabled such an outpouring of cheer? 

_This_, I mused to myself, _is the dark secret Shane tried to hide from me, and the one Team Rocket has hidden from the world? _

"Silver Star is very special," Shane's voice came from the side, as if sensing my puzzlement. "When Star, a orphaned girl, and Silver, her Espeon, were Merged together two years ago, Team Rocket was still in the experimental phase of the Merging process. They didn't expect Star and Silver to survive."

"They shouldn't have done it," Reb said flatly. "Not if it meant putting a human life at risk."

Silver Star giggled at Reb's remark. "But me and me both like the way we are," she informed him lightly. "Even now, there is no one else like us."

Shane nodded. "Silver Star has been the only success of Project Star in the Storm," he said in an even voice, face portraying about as much emotion as his smooth, even tone. "All the other Mergers, as we call them, have died within days of their creation. No one has been able to figure out why."

I shook my head slowly, only beginning to understand what Shane had been explaining to me. Looking concerned at my bafflement, Silver Star stood up and walked slowly over to my side. The long, shapeless robe she wore, not unlike that of a hospital gown, trailed on the ground behind her.

"Trainer and Pokémon are powerful," she said simply. "But together, they are even stronger. Mergers like me, we will fight for our friends, Team Rocket, to come back again."

It came to me now in a flash of understanding. Mergers like Silver Star were nothing more than highly-developed weapons to the reemerging Team Rocket. 

Looking about at the assorted TRC members, I searched for guilt, for pity, even for sinister smiles. All I saw was joy reflected on every face of the TRC. Silver Star's dark eyes, aglow with pride, seemed to shine the most brilliantly of all. 

I had just begun to forgive the TRC for what they had done at Charicific Valley, as well as their infamous history. 

But I had never expected this. Mind a mess of anger and confusion, I stumbled back to the door from which I had come. "I have to go somewhere else for a moment," I muttered to the others before stepping out and walking calmly down the hallway. As soon as I turned a corner, I made a wild break down the corridor.

"Hey, where do you think you're going!" a uniformed man cried out, grabbing my arm as I sped by. The man was tall enough to tower high above me; all I could see of him was the blood-red 'R' emblazoned upon his black jacket.

Sharp words built up on the edge of my tongue, and it took every ounce of restraint in my body to keep them from exploding forward. Instead, I swallowed and recited the names of the first ten Pokémon silently to myself before answering. "I was…just looking for the…um, restroom," I replied weakly. "I got lost."

The man's face softened. "Down this hall and to your right," he informed me, releasing my arm and pointing. "You must be new here. I'm sorry if I scared you, kid."

Managing a weak smile in reply, I strode down the hall at a much slower pace than before. I had to find somewhere private and quiet in which to think. 

As I neared the end of the corridor, a figure in a dark-green jacket moved out to block my path. Beside him, an Umbreon strained at the end of its leash, eyeing me apprehensively.

"Shane," I said in a low voice. "Please get out of my way."

Gauntal braced its paws, planting itself in the middle of the hall. A growl was forming in the back of its throat.

"Not until you tell me why you took off like that, Lody," the boy replied evenly. "You can't upset Silver Star again, not considering how bad that cough of hers has been getting."

"Silver Star's sick? How long?"

Shane sighed heavily. "Silver Star was always rather weak to begin with," he explained frankly. "And for the last few months, her health has been rapidly deteriorating."

Gauntal let out a sharp bark.

"But Silver Star's a fighter. She'll make herself stay alive as long as she sees the need to live," Shane said determinedly. "But in the meantime, we have to try to make her life as comfortable as possible."

"If you really cared about Silver Star's wellbeing," I said coldly, "you would have never made her in the first place. Do any of you actually want Silver Star to live in order to serve some purpose _other_ than Team Rocket's secret weapon!" I resisted the urge to laugh hysterically, and witness the look on Shane's face when I did. "But instead of the ultimate weapon, you created a frail little creature with the mind of a child. Sick little Silver Star is Team Rocket's darkest secret and their only hope for glory!"

To my utter anger, I felt hot tears sting the backs of my eyes. "Who are you, to do this to a child and her Pokémon?" I demanded, swiping at my face. "You, all of you, seemed almost normal at times. Just regular, good-hearted people with no more evil in them than my friends and family back home. What if Silver Star dies, Shane? What if the Merging had killed her long ago? Does any of that matter to you? Does it?!"

A light weight fell upon my shoulder and looking up, I was stunned to see Silver Star herself standing above me, surrounded in the shimmering remnants of a teleportation aura.

"The other me couldn't help but overhear," she said in that same double voice. "If it's any consolation to you, Lody, me and me like the way me and me are just fine. And me and me like helping our friends at Team Rocket, too. They don't force us, you know."

I stared at the Espeon girl, with her baggy robe trailing on the floor and perfect innocence upon her pale, pale face. Silver Star didn't understand Team Rocket was using her. Why, if she knew, she'd most likely be crushed. Wavering indecisively, I was surprised when Silver Star spoke again.

"Team Rocket isn't using me, Trilody," she said, the hint of a lilting laugh embedded in her voice. "They're my friends. And though me and me are sorry about the fate of the other would-be Mergers, we are still glad they made us the way we are." 

Spreading her paws far apart, Silver Star raised her button black nose skyward and let loose a smile. A smile that flowed over her face like the sun breaking over the hills. "When me and me are one, we can experience a sense of harmony inaccessible to even the closest of trainers and Pokémon," she explained happily. "Surely that is no evil. For me and me, it is the ultimate good."

Remembering the happiness and pride on the faces of the TRC, I knew now that it had not been feigned. The TRC and Silver Star saw through a different facet of the crystal than the one I had always scrutinized so carefully. I had doubted they ever had a code of ethics; but did they instead possess one as highly-developed as it was vastly different from the one I had been raised to believe in?

Did Team Rocket feel no moral qualms about Merging Star and Silver not because they did not have any morals, but because their own were so different?

My anger dissolved, leaving only sadness and uncertainty in its place. I could no longer hate Team Rocket for what they were. I could only long to understand them and myself, before I would ever have a chance of understanding right and wrong.

The other TRC members found Shane, Silver Star, and me standing silently in the hall a little while later. Sensing our unease, Dissembler was quick to react.

"All this stuffy air is making my head ache!" she announced loudly to everyone around her. "Why don't we go outside for a while?"

"You can go into town for us, Dissembler," Shane suggested in a quiet voice, shortening Gauntal's leash. "We need some new toothpaste."

Hands akimbo, Dissembler made a face at Shane. "Hey, I didn't mean just me!" she cried. "I meant all of us! You know, go out and have a good time instead of cramping ourselves in this boring old place! What do you say, guys?"

Eyes sparkling impishly, Silver Star stepped forward to join Dissembler. "I wouldn't mind going to town," she said sweetly, tail swishing back and forth in a puppy's wag.

"I don't think that's a good idea," Shane said. "If somebody sees Silver Star…"

"So we'll just have to make sure nobody sees her," Dissembler concluded with relish. "We'll get you a disguise, Silvie! Ooh, this is going to be _so_ fun!"

"It _has_ been a while since Silver Star's been outside, and she's been getting so pale lately," Nurse Hope added as she came up behind us. "Sorry, I couldn't help but overhear. Shane, I do think it would be good to take Silver Star if she really wants to go. Do you, Silvie?"

The Espeon girl nodded enthusiastically. "I've never been to town before!" she said excitedly. "I've never been anywhere 'cept here and the field outside!"

Taking her by the arm, Dissembler led Silver Star down the hall, chattering away all the while. "This is going to be _so _cool!" she squealed, golden curls bouncing up and down. "I just _can't_ wait!" 

"Looks like I've been outnumbered once again," Shane grinned. But despite his protest, Shane did not seem significantly perturbed by Silver Star's decision. For risky as it was, a small action like this would be like giving Silver Star the entire world.

Reb, too, was cool enough about going with the flow. Only Ruki, with her furrowed brow and flashing steel eyes, seemed worried. As I was soon to discover, Ruki was gifted with foresight far beyond our capacity.

* * *

We set off on the trip early the next morning. Special preparations had to be made for Silver Star before we left. Dissembler had decided to inform any spectators who goggled at the sight of Silvie's cloth-swathed body and long cloak that her friend was the victim of a highly-contagious disease that had left ugly scars all over her skin.

As we trod through the thick forest groves at the end of the field, Silver Star kept jerking her head about, pointing and exclaiming at every single bird or branch or leaf that passed our way. She nearly shimmied up a pine tree after spotting a shy Heracross that had taken refuge amidst the tree's topmost needles. Shane finally told her, in the gentle voice only Shane can manage, to tone it down a bit. Silver Star tried her best to obey, but more often than not, was heard giggling in delight at some curious new wonder she had chanced upon. 

_ Mahogany Town. Home of the… _read the sign at the edge of town. The last word had been rubbed out, with various colorful phrases written above, below, and squeezed in beside it. 

Looking upon the town, Silver Star breathed a sigh of rapt enchantment. Running forward, she nearly tripped over the edge of her cloak and had to be steadied by Ruki's firm hand.

"Be careful, Silv," I heard the older girl whisper to Silver Star. "Don't attract too much attention to yourself, okay?"

"Okay," the Espeon girl replied happily, sprinting off to join the other TRC members. Still frowning to herself, Ruki followed more deliberately, scowling when she realized I was looking at her.

"Mind your own business!" she snapped before storming off. As Ruki flexed her fingers, I saw she was now wearing the new "wildcat" gloves Dissembler had given her the day before. The silver of the claws glinted in the morning sunlight, making Ruki look all the more menacing. I made a point of avoiding the older girl as the TRC entered the local PokéMart.

With Shane, Chip, and Ruki off looking at toothpaste, Reb leafing through a magazine, and Dissembler making a dash for the clothes aisle, Silver Star wasted no time in sniffing, touching, and reveling in amazement at each new object she encountered. So much for Ruki's concerns about keeping a low profile; in no time at all, half the people in the PokéMart were staring open-mouthed at Silver Star's antics.

Tearing my gaze from the cavorting Espeon girl, I spotted a pay phone hidden away in the shadows. Making sure that all the TRC members were thoroughly occupied, I inched my way towards the phone, hiding it behind my body.

This was the chance I had been waiting for ever since my capture. With one easy phone call, I could find my father, tell him where I was, and where Team Rocket was hiding. 

The gaping hole in this plan was that I didn't have any money.

But there was a bigger problem. It had been so easy for me to join Team Rocket with the intent of turning the evil organization over to the proper authorities. But back then, I had known nothing about the TRC. If I betrayed them now, what would happen to Dissembler, Chip, Reb, Ruki, Shane, and most importantly of all, Silver Star? Would she be taken far away into some government laboratory, subjected to dozens and dozens of unwarranted experiments, forever regarded as a freak?

Could I betray Silver Star? Could I betray her friends?

A piercing shriek shattered the muted drone of the PokéMart fan and surrounding customers. Whipping my head around, I caught a glimpse of a mischievous young boy tugging at Silver Star's head scarf. Apparently, Dissembler's story had been accepted, but not with the desired effect. Curious to see Silver Star's supposed scars, the boy had pulled the concealing scarf from the Espeon girl's head. With a cry, Silver Star threw up her paws to cover her face, but not quickly enough. 

There was a collected gasp from the people around us as Silver Star's purple skin and Espeon ears were revealed. Shying away in visible terror, Silver Star backed up, knocking a shelf of Pokémon Potions to the floor with a loud crash.

Shane stepped in quickly, Gauntal baring its teeth to keep the crowd back. "It's just my sister's new Espeon costume," Shane invented rapidly. "For a friend's costume party. She just didn't want anyone to see it before the party. She did a great job, didn't she?"

All the other TRC members were quick to agree. Forming a human shield around Silver Star, they quickly escorted her to the front door.

"That's no costume!" the boy who had pulled off Silver Star's scarf cried. "Those ears…they don't come off! I'm telling you, they're real!" 

A whimper in her throat, Silver Star made a break for the door, tripping over Chip's anxious Eevee before she reached it. As the crowd drew inward, I lost sight of the other TRC members.

"Get away!" I heard Ruki scream angrily. There was a sudden swish of air, and the glass of the door fell to the floor with a clink, cleaved into neat pieces. Pushing forward, I saw Ruki staring at her hands in mute amazement. The cut glass, and the claws on her gloves, glittered threateningly in the middle of the crowded store.

Pandemonium ensued immediately afterwards. 

I was nearly trampled and flattened against the wall by a surging mass of people. Shoving forward and scrambling through the broken door, unable to avoid cutting my palms on several of the glass shards, I found the rest of the TRC members forming a protective circle around Silver Star outside.

"Lody!" Dissembler cried, beckoning me forward. "C'mon!"

Without hesitation, I shoved my way through the crowd. As I reached the other TRC members, we started to run.

"We can lose them in the woods!" Reb yelled. "Ouch! Careful where you're driving that thing!" he yelled to Ruki, who had nearly steered the wheelchair into a fire hydrant.

Nearing the border of the woods, I was surprised to hear the shouts of the townspeople die away. Moments later, I was stumbling over a rock and falling blindly onto my stomach. As I pulled myself back to my feet, awed shouts and shushed whispers rose from the crowd of villagers who had been pursuing us moments before.

High above, a large Charizard was circling the skies, wings beating against the wind. As it spiraled down for a closer view, several people gasped at the sight of the majestic dragon-like Pokémon. 

Frozen in place by wonder and fear, I was jolted urgently to my feet by Shane. "Come on, Lody!" he called, tugging me up and pulling me forward.

Not stopping to think, I ran after Shane and Gauntal as fast as my dangerously wobbly legs would carry me.

* * *

**Notes:**

The Pokémon theme song, which Chip spontaneously bursts into singing, is not mine. I am aware it is copyrighted and am not attempting to plagiarize. 


	17. (Drake) Everything Changes

Star in the Storm, Chapter 16

Everything Changes

* * *

The Pallet Lab was abuzz with noise early the next morning. Wary of cramming so many people into the modest dining room, Professor Koreyu and Rowan Chimera had moved the entire gathering outside for breakfast. Pika and Bryar bickered over who would have the honor of flipping the pancakes and ended up spilling syrup all over the kitchen floor, as well as breaking several dishes. Last Drake had seen, Rowan was staring wide-eyed at the mess in her house while both Pikachu and Meganium apologized profusely.

Nobody had noticed a fiery-haired, twelve year-old boy slip away and make his way onto the laboratory roof. Now, with the wind whipping at his face and arms, Drake retrieved his harmonica from his pocket and ran the edge of his shirt across its worn surface. Fireball sat silently at the boy's side, red armband scarves flapping in the breeze.

"You know, Fireball," Drake said as he polished his harmonica. "There are some times I wish we had never left Charicific Valley."

The Charmander's stormy grey eyes smoldered. Because of its fierce facial expressions, many people thought Fireball was perpetually edgy. Drake knew that wasn't the case. It was just that smiles didn't seem to fit right on Fireball's face. 

Drake often thought Fireball had the soul of a mighty Charizard confined within the body of a small Charmander, not unlike its mother, Dragonet, before it. If Charm had gotten the level-headedness and peaceful nature of its family, Dragonet had received amazing strength and a forceful warrior spirit.

Fireball said few words, and when it did speak, its sentences were always to the point. "Your wanderer's spirit would have never allowed it," it replied to Drake's earlier statement.

Drake grinned at his Charmander friend. Giving his harmonica one last shining, he thought about playing "A Real Master," the song he had sung bits of for Roary the night before. As one of his own compositions, "A Real Master" had always been one of Drake's favorite songs. In fact, it was the very song he had played in order to guide Lody and her friends safely into the Valley. 

But thinking about Lody was too painful.

Bringing the harmonica to his mouth, Drake proceeded to play the song he had been in the middle of last night, one by the name of "Everything Changes." Drake had played for a long time after creeping back to the roof at the conclusion of the adults' midnight meeting. 

Drake Flamefoe was an avid harmonica musician and frequently played for hours on end without realizing it. More often than not, he would play deep into the night, even after a cacophony of Charizard snores drowned out his harmonica. The only one who never fell asleep while Drake was playing was Fireball. Fireball never fell asleep before Drake did, or at least Drake didn't think it did.

Rumor had it that Fireball's warrior mother, Dragonet, had taught him to sleep with one eye open. Drake, of course, had never confirmed this himself, but had learned not to form expectations of his Pokémon friend. Dragonet had taught Fireball many things before she lost her life to poachers in the Valley. 

When Fireball was still very young, Dragonet had borne the Charmander off to a secret part of the Valley for several years. When Fireball returned, it was as skilled as its mother in combat and fluent in Human speak. Unfortunately, Fireball had lost its ability to communicate in Charicific or any PokéDialect at this time. Feeling poachers would be more wary of a talking Pokémon, Dragonet had forbidden her child to speak anything but Human. 

Now, as Drake played, his notes felt heavy and leaden in the air. With a sigh, he broke off the song entirely and leaned with his hands back against the rooftop.

Fireball's tail flame flickered, not from the wind, but from its human friend's unease. For a pair who were not Pokémon and trainer, Drake and Fireball shared a very close bond. "You wish we'd never come here, to Pallet Town," Fireball said, voicing Drake's thoughts. "Why, Drake?"

The boy shrugged offhandedly, but Fireball's probing stare forced him to go on. "It's not Pallet Town, Fireball," he said honestly. "We've been to many towns like Pallet before, and I never minded any of them."

The Charmander nodded slowly. "Then what is troubling you –is it hearing Kayley Mindstar's name once more?"

For a moment, both boy and Pokémon were silent, Fireball in waiting, Drake in a flood of memories.

It had been so long since he had last heard the name Kayley Mindstar, yet that one name had turned his entire life upside-down years ago. 

Drake's father, Ashkoa Flamefoe, had spent his childhood in Pallet, the town of his birth. Upon turning ten years of age and becoming a Pokémon trainer, like most boys of the time, Ashkoa had selected a Charmander named Blazer as his first Pokémon. With his outgoing disposition and extensive knowledge of Pokémon, Ashkoa was often whispered to be Pallet's most favored trainer, the one most likely to earn the town another spot in the Champion Hall of Fame.

Ashkoa and Blazer, as everyone expected, were off to an extremely good start. They were well into their Pokémon journey when a newcomer arrived in Pallet Town.

This new trainer, a feisty girl named Kayley Mindstar, had heard of Pallet's shining reputation for producing promising new trainers. Since she had no hometown for which to claim allegiance to, she chose to make Pallet her own. Though others were wary of her sudden appearance, Kayley was eventually accepted as a trainer of Pallet, even though she had possessed no connection to the town beforehand. 

Like Ashkoa, Kayley's favored Pokémon was a Charmander. From their very first meeting, an intense rivalry ensued between the two trainers. Ashkoa never felt as seriously about this rivalry as Kayley, teasing her only in playful jest and even letting her defeat him at the Pokémon League. But as the two trainers grew older and older, Ashkoa began seeing less and less of Kayley Mindstar. 

Ashkoa trained hard and won many battles, whereas Kayley's name slowly disappeared from the record-book of promising young trainers. While Ashkoa was off defeating as many Gym Leaders as possible, Kayley had begun to lose connection with Pallet Town itself.

Once, after both Ashkoa and Kayley had turned twelve, he had met the other trainer in Pallet once again. The girl had been ranting on and on about "sacrifices" and something called the "Keeper." Ashkoa, of course, did not understand a word of what she was saying. Over the years, he grew increasingly concerned about Kayley and her strange new secrets.

As time passed, Ashkoa became a highly-skilled trainer. He and his loyal Charizard, Blazer, could make many formidable opponents lay down their PokéBalls and surrender, simply on sight!

After a while, Drake was born and Ashkoa was forced to postpone his Pokémon mastery dream for several years. When Drake grew old enough, he traveled with his father to many exciting Pokémon matches and distant battle arenas. With his father, young Drake met more famous Gym Leaders and Pokémon battlers than most trainers could ever hope to see in their entire lives. 

Finally, Ashkoa challenged the current League Champion. In an intense battle that had young Drake sitting on the edge of his seat, Ashkoa Flamefoe defeated the most powerful trainer in the League, thereby claiming the title of Champion for himself. Though he had only been a toddler at the time, Drake could still see the look of elation upon his father's face as clearly as if he had only won yesterday.

Three days of exhilarating bliss followed. Enthusiastic parties were thrown in Pallet Town, and Ashkoa's name was carved into the League's prestigious Hall of Fame. Even as a mere toddler, Drake had glowed in pride for his father.

Then, on the last of those three days, a strange person came to visit Ashkoa Flamefoe. Drake had instantly sensed something uncanny about the stranger and had hidden himself under the kitchen table. When Ashkoa had found him there, hours later, Drake was shaking so badly that his father had to carry him out.

With a troubled face, Ashkoa informed his son that something had happened to Kayley Mindstar, a trainer he had thought disappeared long ago. Telling Drake not to concern himself, Ashkoa took his son to Liza of Charicific Valley, an old family friend. Promising Drake he would return as soon as he found Kayley, Ashkoa left his son in the care of the Valley.

Drake never saw his father again.

When he grew old enough, Drake often asked Liza if his father had found Kayley yet and would be coming back soon. Liza never answered his questions directly, just got a worried look on her face and told him to go play with the Charizard. 

After a while, Drake stopped asking questions. And a while after that, he went off into the world with his new Charmander friend, Fireball. 

In the meantime, many fanciful legends had sprouted up about Ashkoa's sudden absence. The title of Champion had been given to another, and Ashkoa's name was forever branded next to the title of "Three-Day Champion." Some thought Ashkoa Flamefoe had left the Pokémon League to seek even greater challenges across the ocean. No one knew the truth, save Drake, Liza, and Fireball, whom Drake had confided in. 

There might have been a time when Drake had wanted to be a Pokémon trainer like his father, but whatever remained of that wish disappeared along with Ashkoa Flamefoe. Instead, Drake became a wandering musician, traveling the regions for songs and keeping an ear out for any mention of his father or Kayley Mindstar.

And now that it had finally come, Drake was experiencing extremely mixed feelings upon its arrival.

Some of it was anger, yes. Drake was angry with his father for leaving him to go off on a wild goose chase for Kayley Mindstar. And if Ashkoa Flamefoe were still alive and well, Drake would be even angrier that he had not come back to Charicific Valley for him. But Drake had always hoped this would be the case, for the alternative was far worse. 

Drake could forgive his father, in time. But not if Ashkoa was gone.

But then, it was not his father he had found at last, but Kayley Mindstar. Did Kayley know Ashkoa had been looking for her right before his disappearance? Drake shuddered to think that Kayley might have played a hand in it herself. 

Ashkoa Flamefoe had been a very powerful trainer. There were many, Drake supposed, that wanted Ashkoa out of their way. For all he knew, Kayley Mindstar was a conspirator. Or was Kayley simply a pawn Ashkoa had used, given as an excuse to abandon his son? Drake scoffed at this idea, but some part within him still feared the worse. 

Drake, after all, could barely even remember his father's voice. 

"Fireball," he said softly, breaking the silence between them. "Fireball, when this is all over, will you come with me to visit Kayley Mindstar?"

The Charmander gave Ashkoa a slow nod of its head, nothing more.

"I appreciate it, Fireball," Drake grinned, feeling revitalized by the simple gesture. Without hesitation, he began to play the same song he had broken off before, the one about changing. Some people thought the song sounded sad, but Drake danced over the notes as lightly and spiritedly as he had ever played before. 

He was so involved in his playing, in fact, that he failed to notice a soft pattering of footsteps on the staircase below.

"That's a beautiful song," a familiar voice said as Drake finished at last. Sea-green eyes sparkling and red bandanna flapping in the wind, Charm sat down between Drake and Fireball, gazing out above the rooftop.

"I can see why you come up to the roof," Charm said after several minutes. "It's so peaceful. You can see all of Pallet Town from up here."

Drake nodded with a smile, following Charm's gaze. Even in the thirty years since Ashkoa's time, Pallet Town still remained the small, idyllic village it had always been. Time had done nothing to change the dirt paths and picturesque houses that lined the gently sloping hills. Shading his eyes, Drake looked far over the horizon in the direction of the Viridian Forest, which bordered Pallet to the north.

A wide line of trees had been chopped down years ago, creating a crooked scar of a path in the middle of the forest. Drake knew that this path made it easier for travelers to move to and fro between Pallet and Viridian, but just the sight of such defacement made him flinch.

The Kanto and Johto regions had long been famous for the beauty of their wildernesses and the wide variety of Pokémon they hosted. Now, with the introduction of pesticides and booming industry, what had once been held as so precious had been thrown away without a care. The Safari Zone, one of the last refuges for rare Wild Pokémon, was shut down nearly two decades ago, and Pokémon that were once common, such as Spinarak, Weedle, and Caterpie, had dwindled to sparse numbers hiding in secluded woods and meadows. 

Drake had never thought much of Pokémon trainers, and he didn't particularly enjoy watching Pokémon battles. But sometimes, he wondered if the Pokémon trainers of the past had unconsciously helped to raise environmental awareness through their need for Pokémon. Now that the trainers were declining, so were many of the Pokémon.

Charm was still a moment longer, watching a scraggy flock of Spearow make its way across the sky. "I believe I recognized the song you were playing before, Drake," it said finally, turning its gaze away from the horizon. "Is it called 'Everything Changes'?"

"Yeah," Drake confirmed. "I learned it from another traveling musician like myself. Not a harmonica player like I am; a singer. She sang the words to me first, and I picked up the tune on my harmonica."

"Do you still remember those words?" Charm asked curiously. "I'd like to know what they are."

The boy smiled at the Charmander, for Drake Flamefoe never forgot a song, whether it be tune or lyrics. In a clear voice, he sang, keeping his eyes out on the distant forest-lined horizon. When he reached the final three lines of the song, before the chorus, Drake's voice slowed and quieted to a heavy whisper.

_ "Every little step that you embrace,_

_One road ends, another begins and_

_Takes you to a better place."_

Breaking off, he looked at Charm and Fireball, managing a weak smile. "It's a very pensive song, don't you think?" he said in a light voice. 

"Indeed," Charm agreed. "But not melancholy. Keep moving on and things will get better. Has that been true for either of you? Drake and Fireball?"

"Change can be for the better," Drake shrugged. Looking out to the distant forest, he added, "Or for the worse. What's true is that we can't always keep it from happening."

The gray-eyed Charmander nodded its head slowly. "Your future is what you make it, Uncle Charm," Fireball stated. "You accept the change at times or you fight it at others. There isn't always an obvious road to follow."

Charm took in all they had said with a blink and a cock of its head. "I think both of you are more thoughtful than you let on," it teased gently. "I just want you to know, everything you've done for Lody and the others is greatly appreciated. And Drake, what you have done for so many of Charicific Valley's inhabitants also has much value."

Putting an arm around Fireball's shoulder, Drake let loose an easy grin. "I'm just as grateful to you, Charm," he said. "Me and Fireball both."

Untying the red bandanna from around its neck, Charm laid the cloth upon the roof and began to sort through its folds. In time, the Charmander emerged with a small, glittering object not unlike, Drake thought, the badges trainers were awarded at the Pokémon League.

"This," Charm said, placing the small object in Drake's palm, "is the Scarletflame Emblem. I've had it for many years, and would be much obliged if you would take it."

The boy scrutinized the sparkling orangey-red badge carefully. Looking back to Charm, he smiled crookedly. "I thank you for your offer, Charm, but I am not a Pokémon trainer." With a bow of his head, he extended the Emblem back to its original owner. 

"Oh, Drake! The Scarletflame Emblem isn't a Pokémon badge!" Charm laughed, shaking its head. "There are only six such Emblems existing in the entire world! Whoever wins all six unlocks a very special surprise. Emblems, Drake, can only be given to those who have proven themselves worthy, whether they are human or Pokémon." 

With a kind smile, Charm gently pushed the Emblem back to Drake. "So do take it, with my gratitude," it said to the boy. "As I took it from my trainer, Kayley Mindstar, before me."

Drake felt like Charicific Valley's biggest Charizard had just knocked him flat on the ground with its enormous tail. "Kayley Minstar was your trainer?" he asked in a shocked voice. "Oh, Charm, you've been at Charicific Valley for years! How do I miss out on these things!"

A garbled shout from below interrupted Drake's dizzying revelation. Forgetting its bandanna, Charm rushed back down the stairs, Drake and Fireball hot on its heels.

Bursting out through the door, Drake spotted one of Charicific Valley's fleetest Charizard, Tindertorch, engaged in a rapid conversation with Rowan Chimera. After only a few short words in Charicific, Rowan's eyes grew wide, and she hugged the surprised Charizard gratefully around the neck.

"Lody's been spotted!" she yelled loudly. "In the Johto region, at Mahogany Town!"

In a flash, Roary Ketchum was out front and center, Picassy on her shoulder and a cry in their throats. "We're up and ready for action!" she announced, pumping a fist into the air.

"Pic, ic!" Picassy crowed, waving its arms about triumphantly.

Behind them, Amulet emerged, eyes shining and step steady. "We've found Lody, we've really found her," she said, with the first smile Drake had seen on her face in a long time. 

As Roary, Amulet, and Picassy seated themselves on the Charizard Stray for the long ride to Mahogany, Drake and Fireball were approached by an anxious Rowan.

"There isn't enough room for all of you on Stray," she said. "And Tindertorch is exhausted. Would you mind, Drake and Fireball, if you had to wait for the next Charizard in?"

Drake turned to his Charmander friend. Both of them shook their heads simultaneously. "We'll get up there soon enough, right Fireball?" he asked, clasping hand-to-paw with his friend. "Because the Charizard at Charicific Valley…"

"Are the biggest, quickest, and strongest in the world!" both human and Pokémon proclaimed together.

And in the meantime, Drake thought, he would steel himself for Kayley Mindstar. For after Lody's return, he would meet Kayley at last.

_ "Your future is what you make it," _Fireball had said to Charm. Drake just hoped he had the sense not to screw it up.

* * *

**Notes:**

"Everything Changes" _is _a real Pokémon song (I think the only place you can find it is on the 2BA Master CD, though) and it is most definitely copyrighted. Once again, I acknowledge this and am not attempting to plagiarize.


	18. Lody: Leader Darkshine

Star in the Storm, Chapter 17

Lody- "Leader Darkshine"

* * *

News of the incident in Mahogany proceeded our arrival back to the Team Rocket Headquarters. As soon as we stepped through the doors, the frantic Silver Star was swept away by a team of Rockets. Full of worry and apprehension, the other TRC members trailed after them anxiously.

Feet still aching from the long trek, I was a bit slower than the others. Slow enough to see Shane accosted by a surly-looking Rocket before he had a chance to join the others.

"Shane Rising," the man said, towering over the boy. "Leader Darkshine wants a word with you."

Shane gave the man a slight nod of the head to indicate he had heard. "When?"

"Now. And bring the Chimera girl with you." 

Both Shane and I were silent as the man escorted us down a twisting series of passageways. As we neared an elevator, the other Rocket ducked away, muttering excuses of having "other business to attend to."

"Is Leader Darkshine the boss of Team Rocket?" I asked as the elevator descended with a nauseating lurch. 

Shane nodded wearily. "Giovanni II Darkshine was the heir to the former leader, Giovanni I," he explained dully. "Though Giovanni I himself has failed to return to Team Rocket, Darkshine has become just as, if even more, ambitious. He has great plans for Team Rocket, Lody."

Gauntal snorted derisively at this.

"If Darkshine has it his way," Shane continued, ignoring the Umbreon, "Neo Team Rocket will never have to revert back to the bumbling Pokémon thievery ring it once was. Darkshine doesn't want Pokémon; some say that his real goal is the overthrow of the Pokémon League."

"Which all relies on the success of the Mergers," I couldn't help but add. 

The elevator door opened with a chime, revealing a dark room lit by a single chandelier dangling from the ceiling. Growling deep in the back of its throat, Gauntal put one, and only one, paw forward. The golden rings on its flank and forehead began to pulsate, emitting a steady glow into the darkness.

_ "Whenever the Glorious Leader wants a word," _ the Umbreon stated, red eyes narrowing. _"I want a piece of his leg in between my teeth."_

"Come on, Gaunt," Shane whispered to his Pokémon, resting a comforting hand on its neck. "No use in stalling, it'll just give your temper more time to boil." Shane gave his Umbreon a little nudge when it still refused to move. "Gauntal, I'm serious. Don't do anything you'll regret this time."

Grunting, Gauntal obliged at last.

I stumbled out of the elevator after them, just as the doors closed and disappeared into the shadows. My feet found thick red carpet. In the dim light, however, it looked more black than red. Stomach twisting, I couldn't help thinking of a bloody trail, left by a wounded Pokémon dragging itself from the battlefield. 

There was a chair at the end of the carpet, a tall, high-backed throne nearly hidden in the shadow of the wall. Squinting across the room, I could just make out a figure seated in that chair, a tall person dressed entirely in black. 

Black, that is, except for the glaring red emblem upon their shirt.

Still staring, I didn't notice a swift movement at the dark end of the room. Moments later, a brilliant pair of lights flickered on, blinding me temporarily. 

When I finally regained my vision, Shane and Gauntal were standing in front of me, blocking my view of the other end of the room. Straining at its leash, the Umbreon gave a low growl. The black fur on the back of its body was bristling, I noticed uneasily, in a mixture of disdain and apprehension.

Kneeling in front of Gauntal, Shane bowed his head and recited smoothly, "Shane Rising has reported in, Glorious Leader Darkshine." Putting a firm hand on Gauntal's back, the boy forced his Pokémon to prostrate itself as well.

As they lowered themselves to the floor, I was able to study the figure in the chair for the first time. 

The person seated there, the Glorious Leader of Team Rocket, was a young, fair-haired man of no more than twenty-five years. Glossy, silvery-blond hair swept over his pale forehead as he lowered his gaze towards us. His eyes were of a startlingly pure sky blue, and as he looked directly into my face, I felt myself freeze in place.

"You must be Lody Chimera," Darkshine said in a smooth, composed voice. "I have heard so much about you."

_ Legendaries above, _I winced._ He sounds just like Shane._

Getting deliberately up from his chair, Darkshine stepped forward ever so slowly. "You may rise, Shane Rising," he said, chuckling a little to himself.

The boy stumbled hastily to his feet, yanking a surly Gauntal up as well. Though it was trying its best to obey Shane, the Umbreon's limbs looked unnaturally stiff. The glowing rings on its body had not faded, either. If anything, they were throbbing even more intensely.

Darkshine noticed none of this, or if he did, he chose to ignore it. "You disappoint me, Shane," the Rocket Leader said coolly, walking in leisurely circles around the boy. Gauntal yipped, and lunged forward for Darkshine's leg, but Shane reined the Umbreon in just in time.

Gauntal's blood red glare followed Darkshine menacingly as the Rocket Leader circled about Shane. Even Darkshine, I thought worriedly, had to acknowledge that Gauntal seethed to make true its threats.

"You can't even control that mutt properly," Darkshine scoffed, moving easily out of the Umbreon's reach. "What a fool I was to give you command over the TRC."

Gauntal snarled indignantly on its trainer's behalf. _"He always treats you like dirt!" _it snapped in rapid Eonic. _"__You shouldn't have to stand this, Shane! I__f you won't do something, I will!"_

Lips tight, Shane pulled the bellicose Umbreon closer to his body.

"You're not even going to beg?" Darkshine sounded mildly disappointed. "I should have thought being relieved of your command would stir up a bit more than this. But then, you were always such a difficult boy. Or thick, I never really decided which."

"What will happen to the TRC?" Shane asked in a wavering voice that lacked all his usual equanimity. As far as I could remember, Shane had never sounded so shaken before. 

Though Darkshine had his back turned towards me, I imagined a smirk was developing on the Rocket Leader's face. "The TRC will be given a much more significant assignment," Darkshine said coolly. "The most important assignment in their lives, and possibly in all of Team Rocket history. After all this time, Shane Rising, your castaways may finally earn their worth."

_ "Shane and the others have earned themselves a place in Team Rocket, countless times over!" _Gauntal burst out angrily. _"Hear that, Glorious Leader? If anyone's got anything to prove, it's not them!"_

"Can't you shut that mutt up?" Darkshine demanded irritably, not understanding a word of Gauntal's enraged Eonic. All that fell upon his ears, apparently, were a series of loud, grating yelps.

Gauntal started forward again, barking menacingly. This time, the Umbreon broke loose from Shane's grasp, and lunged towards Darkshine with its teeth bared. A moment not too soon, a powerful Machamp leapt from its guard position in the shadows, grabbing Gauntal's neck in its thick hands and pinning the Umbreon to the ground.

Struggling against the heavier Pokémon, Gauntal let out a choking gasp as the Machamp's thick fingers crushed into its throat.

"Gauntal!" Shane cried. "Don't! Gauntal!" He ran forward, head twitching to and fro, listening for the cry of his Pokémon.

"Stop that!" Darkshine snapped, slapping Shane directly across the face. The boy stumbled backwards, sinking to his knees. The frame of his sunglasses had been snapped, part of which now hung dangling from behind his left ear.

Staring at the hand he had used to hit Shane, Darkshine looked almost as surprised as Shane himself. The Rocket Leader's smooth face contorted strangely, almost apologetically, before distorting itself into a mixture of contempt and disgust. "I would kill your mutinous mutt if it didn't mean so much to the future of the Team," he said contemptuously. "Did you ever wonder why Team Rocket wanted so many Eevee, Shane?" 

From where he knelt on the floor, the boy's face turned ashen.

"Recently, we have discovered that Eevee and their evolved forms are key players in the Merging process," Darkshine said. "That discovery, Shane, was the breakthrough that we had been waiting for so long. Eevee evolutions have a very malleable genetic structure. One that can easily be combined with that of a human's, especially if the human and Pokémon in question share a very close bond. That is why Silver Star succeeded where no other Mergers did. Or so we believe."

"You haven't tested it yet?" Shane's voice was strained.

Darkshine laughed. "Testing will proceed soon enough," he said in an ominous tone. "Very soon."

Gauntal whimpered, choking again as the Machamp pressed down with its massive fist.

Something Darkshine had said finally clicked into place. "The TRC!" I whispered, voice blurting out my realizations as soon as they came. "You're going to try to Merge the members of the TRC with Eevee! None of them have any family or relation to the outside world. No one will miss them...if they're gone."

Darkshine glanced casually in my direction, almost as if he'd forgotten I was there. "Clever child, aren't you?" he remarked with a grin. "More so than Rising, at any rate. It would have taken Shane at least five minutes to catch on, and that can get _very _boring for the rest of us." His voice snapped back into sobriety as he said, "You have an Espeon, Miss Chimera? An Espeon you care very much about?"

When I squeezed my mouth tightly shut, Darkshine let loose a hearty laugh. "Oh, Shane, I was prepared to be incredibly angry with you for letting Miss Chimera join your little group," he said, wiping tears of mirth from his eyes. "Luckily for you, she and her Espeon companion may be worth more than her father alone. I'm sending the entire TRC to the Cleopatra Island Laboratory as soon as arrangements are made. And as of now, the TRC has been disbanded, and you are no longer leader of anything."

"Leader Darkshine," Shane pleaded, getting to his feet. "Lody has no part in any of this. It's not right, you can't…"

"Don't argue with me, Shane!" Darkshine barked, holding up a hand and snapping his fingers. With a wild toss, Darkshine's Machamp flung a choking Gauntal into the wall. Panting in exhaustion and blinking blood from its eyes, Gauntal limped over to stand by its trainer.

Darkshine's face softened at the sight. "So loyal," he murmured to himself. "Even if it means its own death, that Pokémon will stand beside you. I admire you for that, little brother. I could spare you for that."

Shane was the brother of Team Rocket's leader? No wonder Ruki had obeyed Shane so submissively, even against her better judgment. No wonder Gauntal had been so resentful towards Darkshine on Shane's behalf. 

But from the steel in Darkshine's voice, it was clear that he had considered sacrificing his own brother for the Team. Nepotism, it seemed, could only go so far in Neo Team Rocket.

Shane shook his head. "Not me," he whispered to Darkshine, gloved hands clenching into tight fists. "Please, brother. You must spare Lody. If her father finds out what happened to her…"

"Then the whole world will know the might of Neo Team Rocket!" Darkshine proclaimed, raising his arms heavenward. "When Team Rocket regains power at last, no one will stand in our way. We mustn't let anything come between us and that ultimate goal, little brother. Surely even you must see that. Just like our father did before us."

Darkshine's voice lowered to a whisper, one so soft that I had to move closer to hear it. "You know as well as I, brother, that Father's dream must not go to waste!" he said adamantly. "For everything that Father fought for, and everything that Father died for! For the glory of Neo Team Rocket!" he cried, thrusting a hand into the air in a brisk salute.

"For the glory of Neo Team Rocket," Shane echoed weakly, returning the gesture.

A chime behind us signaled the opening of the elevator doors, and a uniformed man rushed forward. "Sir!" he cried urgently to the Rocket Leader. "Sir, we've caught an intruder in the building!"

Darkshine's face contorted, then smoothened out, all in one brief moment. "Who is it?" he said in a nonchalant voice, as if he were inquiring into the identity of a phone caller.

Angry shouts rose up from the elevator in response. As the doors opened once again, two uniformed Rockets dragged a kicking, screaming, biting girl into the room. In the jar beside her was a small Pichu, sparking fervently and banging against its electric-proof confines.

My mouth dropped down in sheer amazement. The girl was none other than Roary Ketchum and the Pichu her beloved Picassy. 

"Let go of me! Hey!" Roary yowled, writhing about like an Ekans in a knot. She was about to launch into another heated tirade, just before she caught sight of me. "And…Lody! I thought they'd have you locked up someplace! What're you doing here?"

"Roary Ketchum?" I asked. "What are _you_ doing here?"

Roary rolled her eyes at my unconscious mimicry. "Looking for you, obviously!" she retorted. "How was I supposed to know that Team Sprocket had fingerprint scanning equipment?"

Emerging from the elevator now was another Team Rocket member, yanking a much meeker captive along on a chain.

"Amulet!" I cried, running forward and throwing my arms around my Espeon. "Oh, you should've been more careful!"

Nuzzling my face, Amulet shook her long ears. "I appreciate your concern, Lody," she said with a weak smile. "But at least we're all alright."

"What an unexpected surprise," Darkshine broke in, stepping forward. "Roary Ketchum, is it? And Lody's little Amulet. I don't suppose either of you would mind telling us how you managed to find your way to this place."

"Never!" Roary yelled, ponytail thrashing out dramatically. It slapped one Rocket directly in the face, knocking off his dark glasses. "And if you come any closer," Roary added feelingly, "I'll…scream so loudly it'll burst your ears into smithereens!"

"Charming friend you have there, Miss Chimera," Darkshine chuckled. "Take them away," he commanded the Rocket captors.

"Wait!" I cried as Amulet was yanked away. "Where are you taking them?"

Darkshine's laugher echoed in my mind long after it had come and gone. "As a member of Neo Team Rocket, Miss Chimera, I should think you'd know better than to ask that."

Running to the elevator, I punched the buttons and dashed through the doors before Darkshine had a chance to stop me. To my surprise, Shane and Gauntal wobbled in beside me before the elevator doors were able to close.

"You never said a word about being related to the Leader of Neo Team Rocket," I accused Shane sullenly, mind too numb to get past this alone.

_"A great conversation starter that would've made," _Gauntal mumbled in Eonic, leaning weakly against its trainer. _"Hey, my brother's in charge of the most infamous __ Pokémon __thievery ring in history; yeah, I hang around sometimes and…"_

"Stow it, Gaunt," Shane said. Turning his attention back to me, he demanded, "Would it have made any difference if you knew? Darkshine always gets his way, Lody. I'm no one to stop him."

I glared at him for the rest of our trip in the elevator.

But the image of Shane, fists clenched and face bruised, refused to fade from my mind. Shane had defended me in front of Darkshine, Neo Team Rocket's powerful leader and his own brother. 

_ "Darkshine always gets his way, Lody," _Shane had insisted moments before. But then why had he tried to convince Darkshine to let me go?

"Where would they have taken them?" I wondered out loud as the elevator doors opened once more. "There must be a prisoners' ward or something of the sort nearby. Shane?"

But the boy and his Umbreon were already heading down another hallway. Having no hope of being able to navigate the building on my own, I started after them. 

"In here," Shane whispered, pressing his hand against a pad at the side of one metal door. Swinging open with a clank, the door revealed a long line of jail cells. And there was no need to guess whose loud, furious voice was swelling up from the very last one.

"Once we get outta here, I am so gonna make all of you pay for this!" Roary was seething in the far corner. "Watch out, Team Smocket! Roary Ketchum is on her way!"

"Pichu, pi," Picassy moaned plaintively from atop its trainer's shoulder.

"Roary, keep it down!" I hissed as Shane and I made our way to the end of the room. "How are we going to open it?" I whispered to Shane, gesturing to the heavy, complex locks that adorned the front of Roary, Picassy, and Amulet's cell door. 

"Break 'em open!" Roary suggested, shaking at the metal bars of her cell. "Or melt them open for all I care! Just hurry up and get us out of here!"

Rummaging in my pocket, I emerged with a tufted PokéCap stripped with bits of orange and black. Placing it on the cement floor, I waited as my Arcanine, Vulcanis, slowly transformed into full-form.

"Vulcanis!" I called, pointing to the locks. "Can you melt these with an Ember attack?"

Obliging quickly, the Arcanine bent forward and shot a single blast of fire towards the metal. Picassy yelped as tongues of flame curved around the bars and singed the wall above its head. 

"We need it even hotter than that, Vulcanis," I urged. "Hurry!"

Trotting closer, the enormous Arcanine placed its mouth directly above the metal locks. Eyes narrowed in concentration, it began to blow a steady stream of fire onto the metal's shiny surface. 

Bounding forward to the front of the cell, Amulet reached a paw through the bars and touched my hand. Together, we watched the melting metal drip to the ground in a silver stream. 

The slam of a door behind us made me jump. Running to the door that Shane and I had originally come through, I rattled the knob and shoved it back and forth in desperation. "Somebody locked us in!" I yelled to the others.

Mortified, Shane shook his head. "The security system's programmed on a timer," he explained. "It's been so long since I've been here that I forgot…"

Taking a running jump, Roary slammed into the cell bars, forcing the already weakened lock to break entirely. "No one keeps Roary Ketchum locked up for long!" she proclaimed, eyes blazing as she staggered to her feet. "Chimera, get out your strongest Pokémon! Tyranitar and Arcanine and whoever else you happen to have lying around! We're gonna break down that door!" 


	19. Roary: Conviction

Star in the Storm, Chapter 18

Roary- "Conviction"

* * *

"One, two, three, go!" 

An earth-shattering crash shook the room as Lody's Tyranitar, followed closely by her Arcanine, slammed head-on into the locked door. Bruised and battered, they bounced back, crumpling to the ground in an ungainly pile.

"C'mon, you guys!" I yelled, clenching my fists. "Get back up already!"

"Roary, don't," Lody said from where she was standing in the corner by Amulet. Shaking her head, she pulled out her PokéCaps and recalled both of her Pokémon. "Roary," she said tetchily. "I don't think this is going to work."

"We can do this!" I shouted, leaping forward and throwing myself in the direction of the door. "We're gonna get out of here!" Feeling like I'd nearly dislocated my shoulder, I readied myself for another run. But just as I was about to lunge again, Lody grabbed my arm and yanked me back. Both of us slid on the smooth cement floor, falling back and collapsing against a prison cell.

"What was that for?" I demanded, swerving on her and wrenching away. "Do you wanna get out of here or not, Chimera?"

As she untangled her arms from the bars of the cell, Lody's eyes flashed themselves into a chaotic brown and green storm. She sure was a sorry sight, hair a knotted mess and knees streaked with dirt all over. Her hands, I noticed as she stood, were riddled with cuts and caked with dried blood. 

Too defiant to be revolted, I stared straight back at her, not caring what insults Lody Chimera was prepared to throw my way. But to my surprise, the words that came forth were nothing of the sort.

"I want to escape as much as you do, Roary," Lody said in the silky-steel voice she always saves for when she gets mega-furious. "But this isn't going to help. You're going to kill yourself, Roary Ketchum, if you don't quit it right now."

"Oh yeah, Lody Chimera? Well, I think…hey!" Stepping back, I fell against the wall open-mouthed and certain that I had hit my head a bit harder than I should have. "You're worried about _me_?"

By now, Lody's glare was severe enough to burn the door down just by staring. "I don't exactly want to see you beat yourself to a bloody pulp!" she retorted sharply through gritted teeth.

"Pi, pi!" Picassy wailed, bounding up to my leg and tugging on my jeans. "Pichu, oo!" it cried, climbing onto my shoulder and shaking its head from side to side.

Still dazed, whether it was from Lody's words or the crash I wasn't sure, I pulled myself back to my feet and gave the other girl a funny look. "Been drinking anything suspicious lately, Chimera?" I said, keeping one hand against the wall to brace myself from falling again. " 'Cause last time I looked, you hated my guts."

"You think I'd like them any better splattered all over that door?!"

"Can't both of you just cut it out!" Shane yelled, led forward by a limping Gauntal. The Umbreon, I saw, was in pretty bad condition. One eye had been swollen shut and there were pronounced gashes around its neck and sides. Shane's face had grown paler than chalk dust, save for the black-and-blue beginnings of a large bruise. 

I had forgotten they were even standing there! Now, seeing Shane with that beat-up face and tight-lipped look, I was even more surprised when he started roaring in a very un-Shane like way.

"None of this bickering will help us one bit, you understand!" Shane shouted, fists tight around Gauntal's leash. Forcing his voice to soften, he began again, this time in his usual composed, rational tone. "This is the door to a prison cell! We can't break it down, nor could thirty Machamp if they tried. There has to be another way out."

"Hey, you're the Team Rocket mastermind, not us!" I shot back at him. "They'll let _you_ out 'cause you're one of them! Stealing poor Eevee and kidnapping Lody, what you're even doing in here is beyond me! You don't belong here, you belong in some high-security prison ward! Tell him, Lody!"

And then the strangest thing happened. Stranger even than what Lody had done before to keep me from running at the door. Instead of giving Shane the old death-glare and letting him have the full harangue, Lody averted her eyes, concentrating instead on stroking Amulet's head. 

"Lody!" I yelled. "What's the matter with you, Chimera?"

Taking a deep, slow breath, Lody shook her head from side to side. "Roary," she said in a tired voice. "Roary, maybe not everybody on Team Rocket's so bad after all. They…they let me join them, so I didn't have to be a captive."

Breath coming in quick, rushed gasps, I backed away against the wall. Lody just kept on stroking Amulet like nothing had happened.

"Is this true, Lody?" Amulet whispered, craning her head about to face her trainer. 

Lody sighed softly, then nodded.

"You're crazy, Chimera!" I shouted, eyes bulging and voice pitched just a tone higher than necessary. "Crazy, I tell you! Do you know what they're gonna do to you when they find out? And your parents, Lody, what are they gonna say?" 

"Pichu, pi!" Picassy moaned miserably, hugging the top of my head and staring at Lody like she was some reincarnation of evil Mewtwo itself.

Lody, absorbed in rearranging the necklace around Amulet's neck, did not answer. "This is pretty, Ami," she said softly, admiring the golden charm that dangled from the necklace chain. "I haven't seen you with this on in a long time."

Amulet had worn that old necklace for luck, when we had left to rescue Lody. 

Luck, however, did not seem to be on our side.

"This situation does seem to have become quite tangled," Amulet said, pulling away from Lody and setting her necklace a-jangle. "Why did you join Neo Team Rocket, Lody? Did they force you to?"

"Even if they did, you should've fought them off!" I roared in Lody's face. "No self-respectin' trainer would've let Neon Team Grocket force them! They…they would've _died_ first!"

Oops, used the "d" word again.

"They didn't force me, Roary!" Lody yelled back, eyes seething. This was the Lody I knew, with her piercing glare and hateful snarl. "It doesn't matter anymore, anyway!"

"You kidding, Chimera? It makes all the difference in the world! Are you a pathetic sniveling coward or a low-down dirty traitor?"

"You don't know what you're talking about, Roary Ketchum," Lody said, voice lowering to a dangerously menacing tone. "I had no intention of betraying our side, only theirs!"

My mouth must've dropped to my knees. Lody was a double-agent wannabe?

In the corner, Shane buried his face in his hands, sighing almost inaudibly.

"But I can't now!" Something wet was trickling down the side of Lody's dirt-streaked face, leaving dark, smeared trails. "I don't have it in me anymore," she said, before breaking down into a fit of silent tears.

Licking the salty water from her trainer's face, Amulet placed a paw on Lody's knee. "Don't have _what_ in you anymore, Lody?" she asked gently.

"Conviction," Lody mumbled, burying her wet face in Amulet's fur. "Before, everything was so clear. Not now. Not anymore." As she sat there with her face hidden against Amulet's side, several new tears trickled out, making dark splotches on the gray cement floor.

With my face sweaty in exertion and Picassy hanging off my head, I'm sure I made a comical sight standing there in the middle of the room. But all of us, especially me, failed to see any humor in our situation. 

"Well, fine then!" I announced hotly. "Fine! Sit there and cry and complain, if that's what you want! I don't need either of you, Lody or Shane. Just stay outta my way from now on! When my dad and the others get here, you're all gonna get it!" Pulling Picassy off my head and placing it on the floor nearby, I raced forward, slamming my shoulder into the door again.

"Roary, you can't let them hurt Team Rocket!" Lody cried, head jerking up. Hastily, she swiped at her tears, smearing her grimy face even more. "Roary!" she yelled when I didn't answer. "Listen to me! Some of them don't deserve it."

"_You_, Lody Chimera," I spat, "deserve it most of all. Just try and stop me, Team Wocket! I'm ready to take all of you down!"

Lody's voice rose up again. "Roary, please! There are kids at Team Rocket, kids just like us. There's Dissembler, who's always so bright and cheerful; everything's just a game to her. And Reb, all he wants to do is play with his machines. Chip and Ruki, they've been trying forever to stay together and make a life for themselves. None of them thinks Team Rocket is evil. None of them would as lucky as they are now without Team Rocket." With every word, her voice grew more and more shaky.

I ignored Lody, bracing myself for another run.

Lody's voice, still wavering, came up at me from behind. "Roary, there's a little Espeon girl living with Team Rocket," she began in an even more pleading voice. "Her name is Silver Star. If Team Rocket is attacked, what will happen to her?

The name Silver Star was what did the trick. A million bonging bells went off in my head all at once, forcing me to pause and look Lody in the face. "Silver Star?" I asked breathlessly, mental bells still reverberating. "The Espeon Merger Silver Star?"

Shane's brow wrinkled. "How did you know about…?" A sudden look of understanding dawned upon his face. If he had been anyone besides Shane, I think he would've groaned and slapped his forehead in disgust.

"I told you I didn't take your files!" Lody couldn't help but retort. 

"Well, then this is urgent!" I announced. "We have to rescue Lody and Silver Star right away! Just as soon as I…finish breaking down...this…door…ow!"

Brow furrowing, Amulet stood up on her hind legs and pawed at my arms. "You say this Silver Star is part Espeon?" she asked curiously, long ears perking up.

"This isn't the time to meet another playmate, Amulet!" I said impatiently, eying first the door and then the Espeon. "Can't you use your Psychic powers or something to bend that door down, Amulet?"

Ears twitching, Amulet shook her head absentmindedly in musing. "I'm not strong enough to bend down this door," she began, "but maybe I can contact Silver Star's Espeon portion with my mind."

"So?" I demanded, smashing into the door again. On the ground, Picassy whimpered.

"So Silver Star will know where we are," Amulet continued. "And let us out."

I stared at the Espeon, aghast. "If Silver Star pulled a stunt like that, Team Rocket would hurt her for sure!" I protested. "There's no way we can put her in that kind of danger!"

"So noble," Lody remarked icily, folding her arms. The tears had dried by now, and her glare proved to be just as strong as ever. "Noble, but thoroughly misguided. Roary, Team Rocket wouldn't hurt Silver Star."

"What, is she that valuable?"

Stepping forward, Shane shook his head. "Silver Star has friends among Team Rocket," he said simply. "And we would never let anything happen to her. Amulet, do it. See if you can contact Silver Star."

"I'll try my best." Bracing her slender legs against the floor, Amulet bowed her head, squeezing her eyes shut in concentration. After only a brief moment, the red marking on her forehead began to pulsate, emitting a ruby-red light into the Rocket prison room.

"Is she reaching Silver Star?" I questioned Lody anxiously. Forehead pressed into a frown, Lody shrugged her shoulders and remained silent.

Amulet's body began to sway gently back and forth, sending a flickering red light to wash over the walls of the room. Her charm necklace swung in the air as she swayed, not unlike a golden hypnosis pendulum. What seemed like an eternity later, Amulet's dark purple eyes shot back open, unfocused. "I think she heard me," the Espeon told us in a faint voice. 

"Is someone coming, then?" Shane asked softly.

"I don't know," Amulet whispered in reply. "We have to wait."

The three of us kids, plus the Pokémon, sat there silently for a while, biding our time. Lody planted her gaze so firmly on the door that I was sure she was gonna melt it down into a steaming pile of reinforced metal. In the corner, Shane buried his forehead in his palms, Gauntal curling up at his feet. Taking Picassy in my arms, I fidgeted uncomfortably with a strand of my hair, then with Picassy's pigtail. I was in the middle of unclipping and redoing it when a knock came at the door.

"Shane, Lody, you in there?" a rough, feminine voice demanded. "Silver Star said something about you guys, so I decided to check it out."

Getting to his feet, Shane called back, "Ruki! Can you get the door open?"

The voice on the other side sighed in exasperation. "I hope so. I'm going to try to…shoot! The blasted thing's not accepting my hand signature!" A loud, resonating kick followed, shaking the very frame of the door.

"You can't override the system!" Shane called back. "Ruki, try to see if you can get somebody down at security to open the door!"

"Ha, that'll look real good on our track record! TRC leader locks himself in prison ward, gimme a break! Darn it, I hate this stupid thing!" A long string of curse words followed, as well as another frame-shaking pummel. 

"Ruki, it's not going to help!" Shane began, just as a clawed glove ripped through the metal door. With a little scream, Lody and I fell backwards onto the cold cement floor. 

The ripping continued until the entire door had been cleaved into several neat portions. They clattered to the ground, rattling metallically. Scrambling to my feet, I caught a glimpse of a teenage girl with long auburn hair, staring suspiciously at her gloved hands. 

I barely stopped myself from screaming again. This girl was the one who had tied me up during the Charicific Valley attack! _And_, I realized with a pang, the same girl who had caught me sneaking into the Rocket HQ and taken away all my PokéBalls. My arm still ached from the way she had twisted it behind my back.

But the gloves…I hadn't managed to pick out that particular acquisition before. Too busy screaming and biting to pay attention to my captor's metal-slicing accessories. Gulping, I saw that said gloves were tipped in razor-sharp silver claws.

"What in the region were you doing in there?" the girl demanded, hands akimbo. Purple-steel eyes roving about and settling on me, she gave a little shout of exasperation. "Shane, no!" she groaned. "Don't tell me you're freeing prisoners! When the Leader finds out…"

Brushing off his jacket, Shane answered, "I cannot get any lower with the Leader than I am right now, Ruki. What did you do to the…oh, this is no time for questions!" Moving away from the remains of the door, Shane continued briskly. "We have to leave Neo Team Rocket, all of the TRC, as soon as possible!"

"But, Shane…"

He held up a hand, cutting the girl off. "Leader Darkshine has disbanded the TRC," he explained quickly. "He plans to relocate all of the Castaways to another Rocket base, to test the newest Merging theories. On us."

The girl, Ruki, shook her head so hard that her hair went flying into her eyes. "The Leader can't do that!" she protested hotly. 

"Yes, he can, Ruki. We have to get moving." 

"Shane, you don't get it!" Ruki snapped, eyes blazing. "It's Silver Star! We can't leave her, especially not now! She had this horrible spasm attack when we got word about the intruder…Shane, she's so weak they think she might die!"

I froze as Ruki's eyes swerved to meet my own. "This is all your fault, Ketchum!" she spat, glaring venomously into my face. "Don't think I forgot about Charicific Valley!" she stormed on, my clueless expression just seeming to infuriate her even more. "If you hadn't come here, none of this would have happened!" Without a second glance, she turned tail and raced down the long hallway, Shane and Lody close behind her.

"Pichi, oo'pi!" Picassy squeaked nervously as the others left, peeking out from under my ponytail. 

What had I gotten myself into now? Silver Star was an innocent, a captive of Team Rocket. Why had I hurt her instead of them? Mind reeling in guilt and confusion, I dashed after Lody, Shane, and their Pokémon, who were just disappearing around a corner.

When we finally reached Silver Star's room, I was totally wiped-out. Same went for Lody, who was leaning against the wall to catch her breath, but Shane and steel-eyes Ruki headed straight inside without a moment's rest.

A large bed had been set up on the side of the room, complete with a fluorescent light and rattling heater. Assembled around the edges of the room were several very worried-looking kids. One of them, the golden-haired Junior Trainer I remembered as Dissembler, bolted to her feet as soon as she saw us coming.

"Shane, where were you?" she cried, grabbing his arm and pulling him towards the figure lying on the bed. "Things are getting worse and worse! Nurse Hope left when she heard what happened at Mahogany; she was so scared that she'd be caught and taken to jail for helping Team Rocket! And after she left, Silver Star…oh, Silvie! It's okay now, Shane's here!"

The blankets stirred, revealing a small, purple-skinned girl with large dark eyes, plus an Espeon's paws, ears, and tail. I must have been staring pretty badly, 'cause the girl saw me and giggled deliriously. Reaching out a paw, she beckoned me closer, dark eyes glazed and unfocused. 

"I knew you were here, Roary," she whispered in a strange, lilting voice. "And Ami, you came and talked to the other me." She gestured towards Amulet, who stepped forward and nuzzled the Espeon girl with her wet nose. "You told the other me where to find you," Silver Star whispered, words slurring. 

"Thank you," Amulet whispered gently, not seeming at all surprised Silver Star had used her nickname. "We would have been trapped if it weren't for you."

The Espeon girl giggled again, a sound that was high and almost eerie in the small room. "It wasn't any trouble," she insisted, voice fading away drowsily. Her last few words were drowned out by the drone of the nearby heater. "No trouble....at all."

"Are you okay, Silvie?" asked a concerned little boy with Ruki's auburn hair and an Eevee nestled in his lap.

"Do you want a milkshake?" probed a dark-haired boy sitting in a nearby wheelchair. "We can make plenty of milkshakes, that's for sure."

The assembled Rocket kids forced a weak laugh.

I could hardly keep my jaw from dropping to the floor. _These_ worried kids were members of Team Rocket?! Like what Lody had insisted before, they all seemed about as evil as Picassy on a sugar-high. Scary, yes, misunderstood, yes, but dangerous...you kidding me?

Giving out a wheezing, gurgling laugh, Silver Star curled her little body into a tight ball. "Roary," she said suddenly, as an afterthought. "There's something that belongs to you on the table. Back by…" She broke into a coughing fit, and was quickly shushed by Shane.

To my surprise, all my confiscated PokéBalls were lying there on the table. Feeling dizzy with my sudden turn of luck, I scooped them up and stuffed them back into my pocket. No one made a move to stop me. The majority of the Rocket kids, I guess, were too tired and too worried about Silver Star to care.

"What about this?" Ruki asked, holding up my small red PokéGear, which she had also taken after catching me. To my surprise, it was beeping electronically, indicating an incoming call.

"Who'd be calling me at a time like this?" I wondered out loud, snatching up the PokéGear. The ringing stopped momentarily, and my father's voice came in.

"Roary?" he said, voice partially distorted by static. "Roary, are you there?"

"Yeah, Dad," I hissed, glancing furtively at the suspicious Team Rocket members who surrounded me. "But this isn't the best time to…" 

"Look, Roary," my father went on. "There's been a change in plans. Instead of invading the Team Rocket HQ as intended, we'll be arriving in less than an hour. The police insisted, Roary. We didn't have a choice. You, Lody, and that Silver Star girl have to get yourselves out of that place now, you hear me?"

Lody, who had overheard my father's words, shook her head vigorously, pantomiming a cut to the neck. "Please, Roary," she whispered desperately. "You can't let them do this."

Looking around the room, I saw every single one of those Team Rocket kids staring at me. Steely-eyed Ruki fixing her gloves and setting her mouth in a grim line. That little boy with the Eevee, gazing wide-eyed in my direction. Dissembler and the kid in the wheelchair, hovering by Silver Star. And there was no way I could ignore Shane. Pale-faced, but with his jaw set, Shane was waiting silently for my answer.

"Dad," I said finally. "Is there any way you can spare several Team Rocket members? Or maybe go easier on them than you're planning to?"

My father's voice was incredulous. "Roary, those people are hardened criminals!" he exclaimed. "They don't deserve our mercy."

"But Dad, maybe…" Eyes drifting over to Lody, I faltered. Chimera's shining eyes and quick thumbs-up sign made me force myself to continue. "Dad, maybe some people in Team Rocket aren't all that bad, you know? Some of them are just kids, kids like me."

"There will be no pity towards evildoers in my family!" my father snapped, voice growing hard and bitter. "Have you lost your head, Aurora? This is no time to go all sentimental! If I had known that twenty years ago, Team Rocket wouldn't have had a chance to return!"

"But Dad, if you're going to destroy Team Rocket, you're gonna have to…" My eyes strayed towards Lody, standing tensely only a few feet away. Abruptly, my words fell out from under me.

"There are no 'buts' in war!" my father proclaimed. "And this, you realize, Roary, has become an all-out war. Any daughter of mine should be able to feel the approaching storm rising in her bones, Roary Ketchum. Have you forgotten everything you've learned as a Pokémon trainer? It is the duty of any trainer to uphold the good of the world and stamp out the evil before it has found a chance to root itself! I failed in this duty long ago, Roary. I'll not fail again."

Though my father's strong dedication to this goal had sparked a sense of pride in me earlier, all I felt now was a sickening shiver of dread. "But Dad, what if you're wrong?" I whispered. "What if Team Rocket isn't really all that evil? And even if they are, it can't be right to hurt them like this!"

"I've had about enough of this argument!" my father barked, rage amplified by the roar of static that backed his words. "Just do what I've told you, Roary. Don't ask these kinds of questions."

"Dad!" I cried out, forgetting that Lody, Shane, and all the Team Rocket kids were watching me. "Why are you acting like this? Please, just listen to what I have to say!"

But my only answer was the screech of the dial tone.

"Well, if it's a fight they want," Ruki said into the uneasy silence that followed, flexing her fingers," they'll be sure to get it."

"Pichu!" Picassy said, burying its head in my hair.

Dropping my PokéGear to the ground like a hot potato, I hugged my knees to my chest, feeling something hot prickling at the back of my eyes. "I don't understand why he didn't listen to me," I whispered to myself. 

Feeling a hand on my shoulder, I was shocked to see Lody standing there, face bowed and eyes looking truly sad. "It's harder, sometimes, to change your beliefs when you get older," she said simply. "You can't blame him, Roary. That's just the way he is, I guess." 

"Why don't you crawl back under the rock you came from, Chimera!" I yelled angrily. "You don't know a thing about my father…and….and…" 

Something inside me snapped, and next thing I knew, I was falling against the heater and breaking up into hysterical laughter. Realizing everybody in the room was giving me funny looks, I wiped my face, straightened up, and forced my guffaws to tone down into giggles. 

"And yet you're absolutely right about him," I finished, smiling lopsidedly at Lody. "When Dad gets a notion into his head, it stays there for good. It's just that…lately he's been getting kind of scary about it. Almost paranoid. Look, I'm real sorry about this, you guys. You don't have much time to get out before the police arrive."

"Get out?" Dissembler exclaimed. "Who said a word about getting out?"

Around her, the other Team Rocket members were nodding in agreement.

"Look at Silver Star," Dissembler pointed out. "She's in no condition to travel, and there's no way we're leaving her behind!"

"Plus, there's this little thing called team loyalty," the boy in the wheelchair said sarcastically. "I didn't know it existed, but there you go."

"We _can't_ leave Team Rocket!" the little auburn-haired boy cried, hands clenching into stubborn fists. "It's our _home_! Ruki, make those bad people go away! Miss Roary, can't you make 'em go away?"

"Roary's not going to do anything for us, Chip," Ruki answered grimly. "Look, you guys, forget about team loyalty and whatever. Get the TRC-16 ready to make a run for it. I'll stand guard outside the building. If anyone tries to get in, they're going to be in serious trouble." She swiped at the air with her clawed gloves to demonstrate. 

"The TRC-16?" The wheelchair boy looked stricken. "Ruki, Leader Darkshine had it commandeered while we were gone!"

"I…with Lody's help, will take care of that," Shane volunteered quickly, taking the hint from Gauntal's tug and adding Lody's name. "With any luck, we'll be able to negotiate the copter back. And, if we're lucky, our freedom as well. In the meantime, you guys sit tight and watch over Silver Star. We'll be back in a Flash attack!"

As Shane, Lody, and their Pokémon disappeared down the hall, Ruki placed a hand on Chip's shoulder. "Look, squirt," she said. "I'm going to make sure no baddies try to break in from outside. Just wait here with Reb and Dissembler and take care of Silver Star for me. Okay?"

The boy hugged his Eevee closer to his body. "Come back soon, Ruki," he told her plaintively. The Eevee echoed Chip's plea with a small, mournful mew.

With a smile, Ruki ruffled the little boy's hair before dashing out the door.

Leaving me and Picassy behind with three totally unfamiliar Rocket kids and one very sick Espeon Merger. 

"No time to throw a tea party, eh Cass?" I whispered to my Pokémon, trying my best to make light of the situation. 

_ "People shouldn't get hurt, but a lot of them are going to in the future, aren't they?" _I had asked my Pichu what seemed so long ago. But I had never realized the true weight of my words. 

Until now. 


	20. (All) The Storm Is Rising

Star in the Storm, Chapter 19

The Storm Is Rising

* * *

_ Back at Pallet Town... _

The streets of Pallet were empty, save for the howling wind and two lone figures making their gradual way through the deserted town. 

Hugging his long cape to his body, Robin leaned closer to his companion, a scarred, one-eyed Umbreon. All about the town, house doors and windows had been left wide open in the haste of their occupants. One person had even abandoned their undergarments, leaving them to flap like white flags on a nearby clothesline. 

"Can you feel it?" Robin said to his Pokémon in a quiet voice. 

The one-eyed Umbreon's ears twitched in the dusty breeze. "Bre'on!" it yipped, bracing its legs against the ground. Ruby-red eyes narrowed into bright slits, the Umbreon raised its nose into the air, sniffing warily.

"You can smell it even," Robin said into the eerie silence. Turning his face to the sky, Robin pushed his hood back and let his longish, fair hair sweep across the back of his neck. 

"Pokémon can usually sense things before humans," he mused, more to himself than to his companion. "But this time, I can feel it, too. There's a storm brewing, and the best trainers are already feeling it in their bones. Many will follow Ash Ketchum, once the greatest of them all. As the people of Pallet have already begun to do." He looked around at the deserted town once more.

"Umbri?"

Robin laughed in a low voice. "You've known it all along, haven't you?" he asked his Pokémon. "Well, we've done our part for now, boy. Now it's up to the others."

"R'eon? E'on-umbre?"

"Do I think they'll succeed?" Looking into the sky once more, Robin watched a flock of Spearow fly across the horizon in a neat V-formation. Uneasily, he pulled the hood of the cape back over his head. He couldn't help but feel a strange sensation, one of hidden eyes scrutinizing the back of his neck. "It's not for me to say, boy," Robin said quietly, turning away. 

Together, both human and Pokémon continued their journey through the deserted town. Robin turned back once more, scanning the empty streets suspiciously. 

If he hadn't known better, he would've sworn he had heard a child, a child laughing in the wind. But, of course, there was no one there.

Heading back towards the road, he and his Umbreon disappeared over the horizon.

* * *

_ Onboard the Ultra-Magnet Train, en-route to Mahogany…_

"Nervous, boy?"

Drake looked up from where he sat by the train window. He'd never been on a train before, and certainly not one as famous as the Ultra-Magnet Train. What started out as a simple route between Saffron and Goldenrod, Professor Koreyu had informed him, had now spread to a series of circuits all over the regions of Kanto and Johto. It would take them mere minutes to arrive at the Mahogany Town Station from their original starting point in Viridian City. 

Even Drake's returning Charizard scouts, swift as they were, wouldn't stand a chance of catching up! Just thinking about it made Drake's head spin faster than the train was moving. Now that was a truly mind-boggling thought!

Snapping himself back to reality, Drake's mind registered a dark-haired, middle-aged man standing beside the seat. From his tattered jacket and black hair, Drake quickly recognized the man as Roary's father, Ash Ketchum; the trainer who had shown up at the Pallet Lab only the night before. And the one who was now leading the attack on the Rocket HQ.

"I said I wanted to help, Mr. Ketchum, and I intend on keeping my word," Drake said stoutly, glancing at his Charmander friend, sitting one seat ahead. "What Fireball and I can do, I'm not sure. But as long as we're there, we'll have a chance to make a difference, sir."

Ash Ketchum's eyes glittered with the same fervent fanaticism that had scared his daughter so badly one phone call ago, and yet, had also drawn a great number of followers toward his cause. Police officers, all of Pallet Town, young Pokémon trainers, as well as wild cards like Drake and Fireball were eagerly following the unraveling of Neo Team Rocket's clandestine whereabouts. And headed by Ash's firm lead, none would hesitate to pounce on Team Rocket once they were finally uncovered. 

"I like your spirit, Drake Flamefoe," Ash told Drake matter-of-factly. "You'll be a fine Pokémon master someday, just like your father."

"Thank you, sir," Drake replied politely. "But I'm no trainer. And I never plan on being one. There are many people, Mr. Ketchum, who seem meant to be Pokémon masters. But Fireball and I, we have our own destiny. And it doesn't include an arena at the Pokémon League, I can tell you that."

Nodding brusquely, Ash turned away from Drake, heading towards a batch of young Pallet Pokémon trainers sitting on the other side of the compartment. As he watched Ash smile at one nervous trainer, and pat her Bulbasaur encouragingly on the head, Drake had to admit there was something about Ash Ketchum. 

Ash was no manipulator, yet he knew perfectly well how to handle other trainers. Maybe his experience made him an empathetic expert, or his open, sincere nature and outgoing personality were just instant magnets for admirers and allies. Whatever it was, Drake thought, Ash would inevitably gain many supporters in the battle to come.

"How are you feeling, Drake?" a feminine voice asked from where Ash had been standing moments before. Bending forward, Rowan Chimera's long green hair fell over her cheeks and shoulders. Like Lody, Rowan had piercing eyes, and a sharp gaze that seemed to search your very soul. At her side stood a feathery-leaved Venusaur, back broad and muscular from years of training.

"Oh, for master's sakes, what kind of question is that?" the Venusaur scolded Rowan, shaking a vine whip in her direction. "The boy can't help but feel anything but nervous, can you, Drake?"

"I wouldn't blame you," a police officer agreed from her post at the front of the compartment. "Unless we can pull this invasion off in one decisive victory, we'll have many more battles ahead of us. Team Rocket has proven itself to be a formidable opponent, for the most part, in the past. It's not unlikely for it to have grown even stronger." 

"Groowwwwlithe!" her Growlithe barked, fur bristling.

"But this time, Team Rocket will be facing much more than the young boy Ash Ketchum once was," Rowan said. Gesturing a hand to the crammed compartment of trainers and Pokémon alike, she nodded. "This time, Ash has all of us behind him." 

"Don't be so dramatic, Rowan," the Venusaur muttered darkly. "I'll be surprised if half these so-called trainers have anything more in them than hot-air and raw ambition."

"Don't be so skeptical, Spore," Rowan teased gently, mimicking her Pokémon's voice. "Many of them sincerely want to help. They'll come through well enough."

"They had better," a cold, stately voice informed them all. Eyes flashing, former Saffron Gym Leader Sabrina joined Rowan and her Venusaur, Spore. Drake squirmed, growing uncomfortable with the crowd forming around him. Things had been so much easier when it had been just him and Fireball. As much as he wanted to do something, Drake couldn't help but feel a pang of wistfulness for the peaceful life he'd left behind. 

Remembering the song he had played for Charm, seemingly years ago, Drake did not take out his harmonica, but instead chanted the words underneath his breath. "Every little step that you embrace. One road ends, another begins and takes you to a better place." 

Now if he could only make himself believe them.

A hush fell over the crowded train compartment as Ash Ketchum made his way to the front of the aisle. Eyes burning and voice compelling, Ash thanked every single person that had shown up and was preparing to fight Neo Team Rocket. He assured them that neither their intentions nor the impending battle would be in vain. 

"Twenty years ago, I made a grievous mistake!" Ash's voice rang out through the crowd, clear and strong. "Twenty years ago, I laid down my PokéBall, believing that my battle had ended. But!" Ash cried, voice growing stronger with every word. "My battle…our battle had only just begun! It will take every ounce of courage and valor in each and every one of you, my comrades, _every ounce!" _

He made a fist for emphasis and shook it in the air. "_Together_, I know we can succeed where I alone failed years ago! _Together_, we will pull the evil that calls itself Team Rocket out by the roots and destroy it once and for all!" Pulling a PokéBall from his jacket, Ash thrust it high into the air among applause from the assembled crowd.

"I raise my PokéBall!" he declared loudly. "I raise my PokéBall for a world we must defend!"

And all around the compartment, cheers broke out in one enormous wave of sound. PokéBalls and PokéCaps alike were being thrown into the air, along with baseball caps, backpacks, and even small Pokémon. The Pokémon in the compartment were every bit as excited as their trainers; raising their noses and paws into the air, growling and roaring together in one earthshaking cacophony.

"For a world we must defend!" the trainers cried out over and over again. And the Pokémon echoed their every word with thunderous battle cries. 

* * *

_ At the Neo Team Rocket HQ... _

"For the glory of Neo Team Rocket!" Darkshine's voice boomed over the loudspeaker. "Under no circumstances will we surrender to the forces of Ash Ketchum. Any Rocket who does so is _no Rocket at all_!"

An approving chorus of cheers ensued from the corridors and chambers of the Team Rocket Headquarters. "For the glory of Neo Team Rocket!" all the voices chanted in unison. "Protect the world from devastation! Unite and fight, no hesitation!"

Face paling as the chant of the Rockets reached her ears, Lody dearly wished to break out of Shane's shadow and face Leader Darkshine for herself. "Has it really come down to this?" she whispered sadly to Amulet. 

The Espeon stared back at her with mournful eyes. 

"Glorious Leader Darkshine!" Shane cried, stepping forward with Gauntal. "Wouldn't it be wiser to retreat? Ketchum's forces far outnumber our own. We would stand a better chance if we regrouped with the other Rockets, in Kanto or the Orange Archipelago..."

From his lofty position in a nearby swivel chair, Darkshine chuckled to himself. "My little brother fancies himself a strategist," he smirked. "You needn't worry, Shane. You and your little friends will be far, far away by the time Ketchum arrives. The flight to Cleopatra Island has already been arranged. Send me a postcard when you get there, will you? You too, Miss Chimera. I'm sure your father will want to hear from you."

"You're not letting the TRC go, even now?" Lody stared at Darkshine's back, wide-eyed and blanching to a sickly ashen color. "And you can't send me to Cleopatra Island! My parents, Roary…they've been fighting so hard to have me freed."

"Tough luck, Miss Chimera," Darkshine shrugged dismissively. "You joined Team Rocket of your own accord. There's nothing anyone can do about that."

Face flushing hot and angry all at once, Lody took a step forward, hands clenching into tight fists by her sides. "The Rockets _I_ joined were kind, good people!" she yelled at Darkshine's back. "And for a while, I began to believe all of you were like that! I even convinced my friend to try and stop the attack!" 

Body quivering, Lody took another step towards Darkshine's chair, eyes flashing furiously. "But maybe some of you deserve what is about to happen, Leader Darkshine," she said in a low, silky-steel voice. "Your brother is not one of them. Neither are any of the TRC. Many Rockets who should have been spared this fate will suffer in the battle to come. But not you, sir. No, you'll have all of _them_ out there, taking care of your dirty work while you hide yourself in this room, cowering in that comfortable chair of yours!"

"Lody!" Amulet yipped, pawing at her leg. 

"You have no reason to be happy, sir!" Lody spat contemptuously at Darkshine's back. "After this battle, Team Rocket will be sure to find themselves a new leader."

Gauntal, red eyes bright, yipped in approval.

From where he stood behind Lody, Shane was frozen, stricken by both fear and admiration for Lody Chimera. The first overpowered the second, and with Amulet, he dragged a wild-eyed Lody to the back of the room. But Lody wasn't struggling anymore, she was turning around, turning her back to Darkshine as the man had already done to her. As she neared the door, Darkshine's voice drifted up from his chair.

"Big words for such a little girl," the Rocket Leader laughed, leaning back. "Shane, see that Miss Chimera is properly escorted down to the air terminal. Your friends from the TRC should be there already, awaiting the flight to the Cleopatra Laboratory. You had better hurry, or they'll leave without you two."

The boy and his Umbreon were still.

"Shane. Don't disappoint me. Don't disappoint Father's memory."

Bowing his head, the boy saluted briskly. "For the glory of Neo Team Rocket!" he stated firmly. 

"For the glory of Neo Team Rocket!" Darkshine responded immediately. "Now go!" 

"Oh, Lody!" Amulet exclaimed, breathing a worried sigh as soon as they were out of the room. "I thought he was going to kill you!"

_"I wouldn't put it past him!"_ Gauntal yelped in agreement.

"You're lucky Leader Darkshine has a sense of humor, twisted as it is," Shane remarked lightly as he and his Umbreon started down the corridor. Lody and Amulet, however, held their ground.

Rooting herself firmly to the spot, Lody crossed her arms and scowled at Shane and Gauntal. "You're not making us get on that flight," she informed Shane coldly. "We'll fight you if we have to, Amulet and me together."

Shaking his head, Shane's fingers tightened around Gauntal's leash. The familiar mantra pounded in his head, growing into a constant, deafening drone. _For the glory of Neo Team Rocket, _Shane thought fiercely. _For the glory of Neo Team Rocket and for Father's memory, I have no choice._

"I know, Lody," he said in a low voice, hands trembling with the enormity of what he was about to do. 

For a second, Lody thought she had pushed him too far, that Shane had cracked at last. She braced herself grimly for a violent attack, or maybe even a flood of tears.

Instead, the Rocket boy stilled his shaking hands and continued down the corridor. "Don't think I don't know how you feel," Shane said. "Now let's get you out of here."

* * *

_The skies above the NTR HQ…_

As the wind rushed against his face, Drake looked down from his perch on Tindertorch the Charizard's broad back. One hand on the Charizard's neck, the other on Fireball's paw, he jabbed his head in the direction of the ground below. "There," he commanded Tindertorch, scanning the thick grove of trees once more. "I think I see an entrance over there."

Growling, the mighty Charizard hesitated, looking questioningly at Drake from the corners of its eyes. 

"While the others are busy planting an offensive at the front doors, Fireball and I can sneak in from down there," Drake explained patiently. "Mr. Ketchum said Roary sounded really worried when he called. There's still a chance she and Lody are trapped in there somewhere, and it's our responsibility to get them out before they get caught in the attack."

Tindertorch still hovered indecisively in the air.

"We'll be okay, big buddy," Drake assured the Charizard, patting its long neck. "We're small. No one'll notice we're even in there. Now are you going to let me go or not?"

Snorting through its nostrils, Tindertorch lowered its long neck by a protruding tree branch. With a quick leap, Drake and Fireball had grasped a hold of the branch and were shimmying down as fast as they could. "Thanks, Tindertorch!" Drake called back to his friend before the Charizard rose, disappearing behind a nearby cloud.

"You're sure you saw the entrance in this direction?" Fireball asked, poking its way through a nearby bush.

"No, this way," Drake hissed, sliding under a fallen tree branch. "The building's in this direction, Fireball. Get over here! Fireball? Hey, Fireball?"

Stumbling backwards, Drake thrashed his way through a clot of mossy undergrowth, calling Fireball's name. The Charmander had disappeared faster than a Ditto in a pot of pink bubble gum.

Had Fireball already found its way out of the woods and to the entrance? Drake wondered desperately. As worried as he was, there was no way he could spend any more time searching for his Charmander friend. Keeping his fingers crossed, Drake dove forward through a grove of bushes. Shoving his way through a gap in the thorns, he broke out into the open, spotting the building entrance immediately. 

As well as a pair of glaring lavender-steel eyes.

Drake was forced to duck as a gloved fist came his way, missing his nose by mere inches. "You again!" the steely-eyed girl snapped, preparing to land another blow in Drake's direction. "Stay away from this place, if you know what's good for you!"

"Hey, I remember you!" Drake couldn't help but blurt. "You're that girl from the Rocket invasion of the Valley. The one who kicked me out of the commentator's office. What gives?" He fell onto the ground and rolled to the side as the steely-eyed girl threw another punch, this time aimed directly at his stomach. 

Eyes flashing, the girl circled Drake, face red in both fury and exertion. "And you're that pesky runt Magby who couldn't even save his own Eevee!" she retorted bitterly. "Now get your face outta my sight, or I'll smash it in!"

Drake decided quickly that his best chance was to keep on baiting the girl. He wasn't too afraid of getting clobbered, just of not being able to find Lody and Roary in time. If he could get this girl to accidentally tell him where they were being kept… 

"You just try!" he taunted, cartwheeling to the side and jumping backwards as the girl lunged again. "You ever take on my friend Lody?" he called to the girl. "Now she's a real fighter! She doesn't throw a single punch, but can still make your guts squirm!" 

"You're Lody's friend? Should've guessed." The girl flexed her fingers and charged at Drake again. "I told Shane not to trust that girl in the first place," she hissed. "And now look what's happened! All the world is itching to get their hands on us, thanks to Lody and her little _friends_." The girl spat out the last word while simultaneously swiping at Drake's head. 

She missed Drake, hitting a nearby tree trunk. To Drake's utter amazement, the girl's gloved hand slid all the way through the tree, cleaving off the top as easily as a hot knife slicing through butter. 

The tree top hit the ground with an earthshaking crash, one branch snapping inches away from Drake's heavily-sweating, horror-struck face.

With a smirk, the Rocket girl flexed her fingers, snapping a set of metal claws in and out of the gloves' fingertips. "Scared yet, Magby?" she taunted. "You should be." 

And she lunged forward again.

* * *

_And at the doors of the NTR HQ…_

A long line of Pokémon and trainers had assembled themselves at the head of the Neo Team Rocket HQ, recklessly cutting apart bushes and felling trees in their wake. One young Pallet trainer whispered encouraging words to her Charmander, while another gave his Squirtle a brief pat.

Sensing the sudden quiet that had fallen over the crowd, a grim Tracey put away his sketchpad and released his Scyther. Several feet away, Sabrina closed her eyes. A telepathic aura flared around her and her Alakazam, starling nearby trainers. Melody stroked her old conch-shell flute for luck, while Shingo prepped his trustworthy Scizor, Blade, in a quick whisper. 

Climbing onto Spore's back, Rowan Chimera gazed over the crowd and took a long look at the building before them. Rowan's Venusaur companion did not prod her for words. 

Jacket flapping and eyes glittering, Ash Ketchum moved the head of the line one step further. And at the very back with her Togetic and Stamie, Misty Waterflower bit her lip and waited. 

"Team Rocket!" Ash yelled at the building in the distance. "I see you cowering behind those doors like the shameless Houndour you are! Do you surrender?"

The Growlithe K-9 unit let out a combined growl, good training the only thing keeping them from charging forward, teeth bared.

The doors of the building burst open, letting loose an enormous mass of black, silver, and red uniforms. And leading them was a young, fair-haired man, seated high in the control seat of a large, clawed robot. A robot crafted in the uncanny likeness of a colossal black Sneasel (one of Reb's best designs).

"Why do you even bother to ask?" Darkshine hissed, craning the Sneasel robot's arm forward. "Father, I know you're watching," the Rocket Leader whispered, turning his face skyward. "Please give us the strength we need to finally achieve your dreams." 

"For the glory of Neo Team Rocket!" Darkshine screamed into the air, letting the robot's claw come crashing down on the ground before him.

"For the glory of Neo Team Rocket!" the Rockets echoed, charging forward.

The storm, which Robin and Ash so prophetically predicted, had finally broken loose.


	21. (All) One Moment in Time

Star in the Storm, Chapter 20

One Moment in Time

* * *

_ Silver Star's Room, inside the Team Rocket HQ... _

Roary Ketchum was restless. All of the children were, but Roary was by far the worst. Biting savagely on her fingernails, the girl trainer paced back and forth around Silver Star's hospital bed. Picassy clung timidly to her head, far from its usual rambunctious self. 

Looking down at Silver Star's feverish face and small body, Roary bit her lip until she could taste the salty tang of blood. The Espeon girl's breath alone seemed to take more force than her weak frame could muster. With each ragged rise and fall of Silver Star's sweat-soaked chest, Roary's heart felt like some invisible hand was clenching it tighter and tighter. 

_ How could this have happened to an innocent girl and her Pokémon?_ Roary wondered. And Ash Ketchum, her father, how could he not understand what would surely follow if he did not hold back the attack? 

Oh, Roary had thought she knew her duty as a Pokémon trainer. As a trainer, she had sworn to defend and uphold the world both she and her father before her had so cherished. But doing so for Ash, Roary thought ruefully, had always been so easy when he was a trainer. Things and people were changing, and she was too confused to tell whether it was for better or worse. 

As Dissembler bent over to wipe Silver Star's burning forehead, Roary held back, trying her best to efface herself against the wall. These people, these Rockets, had every right to hate her. But as Lody had confessed already, it was impossible to hate them back.

Feeling a small tug on her arm, Roary looked down into the wide, purple eyes of Ruki's little brother, Chip. His Eevee had draped its furry body around Chip's neck like a puffy scarf, quivering as the boy approached Roary. "Please, Miss Roary," Chip begged, pulling on her arm again. "Miss Roary, Ruki's been gone for a very long time. Do you think she's okay?"

"Ee'vee!" his Pokémon mewed, curling itself up even tighter.

Roary put a shaking hand on the little boy's shoulder. "I'm sure she's fine," Roary lied. "I doubt anybody could hurt that girl. She's some fighter."

"She wouldn't stand a chance otherwise," the boy in the wheelchair commented bitingly. "None of us would, you know. And things are just going to get tougher for us. You should know that, Roary Ketchum."

"Oh, Reb!" Dissembler exclaimed. "This isn't the time."

Reb put up both hands. "I'm not saying anything!" he insisted, making a wry face at Dissembler as soon as she had her back turned. "Actually," he said suddenly, cocking his head in Roary's direction. "You aren't half as bad as I thought the daughter of Ash Ketchum would be." 

"Me?" Dumbfounded, Roary pointed at herself.

Reb grinned that same wry grin. "Ash Ketchum was Team Rocket's number one enemy back in the good old days," he explained to her tersely. "At least you're not trying to kill us. Yet. Your father never showed an inkling of mercy towards us, Roary Ketchum. I don't expect he's changed in that."

"I suppose he hasn't," Roary muttered, bowing her face towards the ground. 

A loud explosion rocked the small room, sending Roary and the other children running for cover. Coughing in the cloud of dust that ensued immediately afterwards, Roary warily forced her watery eyes open and peered about. 

To her amazement, a squadron of young Pokémon trainers was standing behind a gaping hole in the wall, along with a team of their Pokémon. A burnt and bruised Electrode lay unconscious in front of them. Evidently, it had used an Explosion attack, sacrificing itself in order to break into the room.

"Lugia above!" one of the trainers breathed, stepping through the dust cloud. "It's Roary Ketchum!"

"You're safe now, Roary," another trainer, a girl with curly blue hair, called. "We've come to rescue you!"

Roary choked, batting a hand at the debris around her. "What in the region gives you the right to just barge in here and blow the place up?" she demanded crossly. "There's a very sick little girl in that bed over there! You'll be lucky if you haven't woken her up!"

Pushing past Roary, the lead trainer stepped towards Silver Star, adjusting his bright red cap and matching jacket. Roary yelled at him indignantly, but he paid no mind. 

"That's no little girl!" the red trainer exclaimed disgustedly, catching sight of Silver Star's fevered body and stumbling backwards. "What _is_ that thing?"

"That _thing's _our friend!" Dissembler yelled at him, stepping in front of Silver Star's bed and holding up her arms. 

"And she isn't in the mood for visitors," Reb added, moving to Dissembler's side.

"It's the Merger, Silver Star!" the blue-haired trainer gasped in realization. Around her, similar expressions of surprise and triumph were echoing up from the other trainers. 

The red-clad trainer laughed long and deridingly. "This is what the great big evil Neo Team Rocket sends to guard their scientific secrets?" he sneered at the two TRC members. "Goldilocks and a cripple? Move aside, Rocket kiddies! Playtime's over!"

"You're not taking Silvie away!" Chip screamed, running from Roary's side to Silver Star's. "Ruki and Shane and everybody said so! They told me to protect Silvie if I had to! I'm not letting you take her, not in a million years!"

"And a Rocket baby," the red trainer added contemptuously, turning to his huge, lumbering Fire Pokémon. "Typhlosion, take 'em down!"

Grunting in acknowledgment, the Typhlosion trudged forward, a fiery ruff flaring up about its neck as it prepared to deliver an attack.

Roary couldn't believe her eyes as a simmering fireball began to form in the Typhlosion's wide jaws. Still Dissembler, Reb, and Chip refused to move. They were going to be fried to a crisp if they didn't!

A muffled murmuring noise was coming from Silver Star's bed. "They can't take us away, they can't, _they can't!_" Silver Star was saying, voice growing from a hoarse whisper to a wild scream. Roary gasped as the Merger flung out at her sheets, body glowing with a visible aura of psychic purple light. 

Silver Star was having another seizure. Her first had nearly killed her.

"_They can't take us!"_ Silver Star was shrieking over and over again. The very words seemed to burn themselves into Roary's head at the same time, as if Silver Star's Espeon side had reawakened and was crying out psychically. Eyes flaring with some kind of fevered fire, Silver Star looked directly at the Typhlosion and its trainer. "_Leave our friends alone!" _ she screamed, lashing out with her paws.

A hand of psychic light whipped out from around Silver Star's body, sending the red trainer and his Pokémon crashing into the wall. Silver Star fell back onto her bed, body limp and eyes unseeing. 

"Silvie!" Roary heard Dissembler shriek. Confused shouts were coming up from the crowd of trainers. Roary could only catch a glimpse of silver, black, and red uniforms, rushing through the now open door. Team Rocket reinforcements had arrived, and were now battling their way towards Dissembler, Reb, Chip, and Silver Star. 

Rising to its feet with a thunderous crash, the red trainer's Typhlosion let loose an enormous bellow at the sight of its unmoving trainer. Thrusting its chest forward, the Pokémon blasted a steaming Flamethrower right in Silver Star's direction. 

"Stop it!" Roary cried, running forward with her arms flailing. "_Stop!" _

She had only a moment before the streaming Flamethrower engulfed her entire vision.

* * *

_In back of the HQ building... _

Ruki failed to notice the oncoming crowd of trainers at first. She was blinded and deafened by her own anger, a violent, raging hate of the brat of a boy before her. Again and again she swung, again and again the boy evaded. Ruki wanted so badly to knock that jeer off his smug little face, and as she lashed out, she grew increasingly irritated.

Then something unbearably unmistakable slashed through the curtain of rage that she had woven around herself. Propellers beating the air into a miniature whirlwind above the ravaged Team Rocket HQ, a black helicopter launched itself into the sky. 

It was the TR-16, and with their faces plastered against the windows, Reb, Dissembler, and Chip gazed mournfully out the back. Seeing Ruki standing down there in disbelief, Chip banged on the window, yelling as the helicopter carried him out of his sister's sight. 

Ruki's scream never even made it out of her throat. She could only stare, neck craned so far back that her shoulders started to ache. The wind blew at her long auburn hair, whipping it into her face as she stood there, stunned and frozen in place. 

It was then that she saw the trainers. They were arguing amongst themselves, unaware that Ruki was just one ridge beyond. She had to run, but her mind was too numb with shock.

She couldn't go back to the HQ building. Someone had set it on fire, and now long flames were licking the roof and walls. Her only hope were the thick woods that surrounded the building, woods that she had never successfully navigated on her own. Not that she had a choice. But for some reason, Ruki could not urge herself to move forward. 

_ It's all over, _she thought in panic. _They left me behind. Oh, Chip! So long I've tried to watch over and make sure nothing bad happened to you. Now, I failed._

The trainers would find her and drag her away to the Johto court. There, she'd be tried as an adult for all the crimes of Team Rocket, condemned to some merciless sentence and unable to see her brother ever again. 

There was a small pressure on her arm. Ruki hadn't noticed it before, but looking down, she saw the fiery-haired Magby of a boy standing there. What was he doing now? Pushing her, nudging her on? Ruki stared incredulously at the boy's face. It would be so easy for her to reach out a clawed hand and slash him into shreds. 

Didn't he realize that? Didn't he care?

Ruki looked for something in the boy's dark brown eyes. Scorn maybe, or even pity. What she saw there surprised her most of all. 

"They'll catch you if you don't run," the boy said, averting his eyes guiltily. When Ruki still didn't respond, he clasped a hand into her gloved one, avoiding the claws carefully. "Come on," he said, starting forward.

Pulling herself together at last, Ruki ran with him. Time itself seemed to blur as she stumbled on, ducking past tree branches and bushes, vines and fallen logs. A jagged rock caught her foot and she tripped on the slippery bank of the swollen river that fed into the Lake of Rage. 

"Don't let go!" the boy yelled, clutching at her hand and trying to pull her back onto safe ground. But Ruki was already falling, falling and dragging the boy down with her. 

With a splash, both children lost their balance and tumbled into the freezing river. Roaring ferociously, the water engulfed them completely in one loud rush.

* * *

_ Silver Star's Room, again... _

When Roary opened her eyes, she still had her arms over her head. The heat of the Flamethrower was gone, but looking up, she saw the enormous blast of fire hanging suspended in the air, inches from her face. Just beyond it was the Typhlosion, eyes narrowed and face frozen in an expression of fury. 

Trainers and Rockets alike had been petrified into stricken poses. Even a chunk of ceiling hovered inches from the crack where it had fallen, far above the ground on which it should have crashed. 

"Hey? What's wrong with you?" Roary called, stepping forward and prodding a motionless Dissembler in the shoulder. The girl had been frozen in place while leaning over Silver Star, tears stuck in mid-roll down the side of her cheek. "What's going on?" Roary demanded.

"Pichi'pichi?" Picassy called, cupping its paws around its mouth. 

Reaching a hand towards Silver Star's limp body, Roary tentatively felt the Merger's clammy neck. Try as she might, she could feel no pulse.

"Oh no," she breathed in realization, trying to convince herself that it was simply a result of the frozen time, and nothing more. "No!"

A strange green light was brightening at the edge of Roary's vision. She thought she heard a child's laugh, but turning around, she saw nothing there. 

"This is so weird," she shivered, swerving about and staring around anxiously. "Hello!" she yelled. "Is anyone else still normal besides me?"

"That depends on how you define normal," a wry voice came from behind. 

Swerving about, Roary met face to face with a boy no older than she, dressed in a faded jacket and T-shirt. Wisps of brown hair stuck out over the boy's ears and forehead, and as he studied her, his dark eyes lit up and glittered, illuminating his entire body with a ghostly green aura.

Looking down, Roary gasped. The boy's feet weren't even on the ground –they were a good foot above it! 

"Are you the one who did this?" she demanded, gesturing to the frozen crowd inside the building. " 'Cause if you are, you need to change everyone back right away! Silver Star…we have to help her as soon as possible or…or…"

The boy held up a hand, causing his aura to dim considerably. "And this is my thanks?" he laughed. "Didn't I hear somebody yelling 'Stop!' a moment ago? Well, here we are. Time itself has stopped, momentarily at least."

Extending a hand, the boy cocked his head at Roary. "You can call me Kay. If you ever get around to thanking me, that is."

"You _did_ do this?" Roary could practically feel her jaw dropping to her knees in amazement. Atop her head, she could feel Picassy's little claws tighten around her scalp.

"Me and my friend here," Kay said, pointing a glowing green finger into the air above. In a flutter of gauzy wings, a small green pixie-like Pokémon sprang forward from out of nowhere, sky-blue eyes sparkling at Roary's dumfounded expression. 

"Her name is Celebi," Kay said as the fairy Pokémon came to perch on his shoulder. "Time is her specialty. It's mine, too." He flashed Roary and Picassy a quick smile before going on. "You picked up a small trinket on your Pokémon journey in Goldenrod, didn't you, Roary?"

"What?"

"Nothing of concern," Kay went on. "Just a little golden badge, nothing more. I think they call it the Goldenglow Emblem. Am I right?"

Roary's hand found its way into her pocket, and over the small, hard object inside. "How would you know?" she challenged, backing away from the strange boy.

Kay laughed again, and this time Roary was sure it had been his laugh she'd heard before. "Tell you what," Kay said, lowering himself to Roary's eye level with a snap of his fingers. "I challenge you to a Pokémon match, Roary Ketchum. If you win, I'll set time back the way it was before. If I win, you give me the Goldenglow Emblem."

"And if I say no?" Roary demanded.

"A real Pokémon master never turns down a challenge," Kay retorted, smiling knowingly as Roary gaped back at him. "And no just forking over the Emblem, Roary. Something like that has to be won."

Head racing hastily through her choices, Roary grit her teeth, reaching into her pocket for a PokéBall. _It's simple_, she told herself mentally. _It's no worse than the Pokémon League, and I've lived through that twice. _But at the Pokémon League, Roary had never had to battle an opponent who could stop time. And she'd never had to battle for such high stakes. If she lost, would Kay keep time like this forever?

"Bring it on!" Roary cried, swinging her PokéBall out and whipping her ponytail over her shoulder. With a yipping battle cry, Picassy leapt down from Roary's head and assumed a battle stance in front of its trainer. Sparks jumped back and forth between the Pichu's bristling fur and the surrounding air.

Dark eyes glittering in amusement, Kay raised his hand and snapped his fingers. For a mere instant, Roary felt a disorienting lurch, as if an invisible hand had picked her up and set her down again without much care. She managed to stay on her feet, but just barely.

To Roary's surprise, the room around her had dissolved into a grassy field, complete with a chilling wind that raced breakneck across her face, making her shiver. Expansive hills bordered the misty horizon, providing a looming barrier around the valley.

Smiling at Roary's wide-eyed stare of recognition, Kay snapped his fingers once more. Again Roary felt that sickening lurching sensation. This time, her flailing hands met cold stone. Tall, weathered pillars surrounded the edges of Kay's new battlefield.

Roary had arrived in the Coliseum again, but for a much different purpose than before.

Extending his palm forward nonchalantly, Kay waited as a glowing ball of light materialized into his hand. As the light dimmed, Roary could see he was now holding a PokéBall, one seemingly made from solid gold.

"We shall have a three-on-three match," Kay stated, backing up to the foot of a nearby pillar. 

"Fine with me!" Roary yelled back, thrusting her PokéBall into the air. In a flash of red light, her Vaporeon sprang out, landing nimbly on all fours. 

Eyes narrowing slyly, Kay drew back his golden PokéBall, not even bothering to lob it onto the battlefield. Immediately, a laser-stream of red light issued forth from the PokéBall's interior, materializing into a petite, furry Pokémon in the middle of the Coliseum floor.

Roary's Vaporeon drew back a dainty paw, hissing at its new opponent. Kay's Pokémon, a slight Eevee with large, liquid golden eyes, made a faint mewing sound. It shook its luxurious white neck ruff and assumed a battle stance. 

_ He sends out an Eevee against my Vaporeon?_ Roary thought incredulously. _Doesn't he even take me seriously? _But she didn't have the luxury of musing over this much longer."Vaporeon, Quick Attack!" she yelled, clenching her fists. Her Pokémon obeyed in a dazzling burst of speed. But it wasn't quite fast enough.

"Substitute," Kay commanded casually. As Vaporeon plowed through the spot Kay's Eevee had been moments before, Roary heard a metallic clang ring through the air. 

The Eevee had vanished, leaving another Eevee made of solid gold in its place. Vaporeon's Quick Attack bounced harmlessly off the metal decoy, and as the finned Pokémon swerved about for another attack, a blur of brown fur shot out from behind a nearby pillar. 

"What?!" Roary yelped as the golden-eyed Eevee took down her Vaporeon in a single, devastating Double Edge. "But that's not possible!"

Golden eyes luminous, the Eevee dashed up to stand by Kay's side. The boy's grin widened as he patted his victorious Pokémon on the head. "Many trainers perceive Eevee as weak," he said. "But with the right training, you see, Eevee is indubitably more powerful than any of its evolved forms. So, what's your next Pokémon, Roary Ketchum?"

Gritting her teeth until her jaw ached, Roary recalled Vaporeon and flung another PokéBall onto the field. This time, a wild-maned Ponyta emerged, rearing on its slender back legs. Dark eyes just as scorching as its fiery mane and tail, the fire horse Pokémon ran an iron-hot hoof across the stone floor of the Coliseum.

Watching Roary's Ponyta casually out of the corner of his eyes, Kay extended his hand to the sky once more. This time, a glowing ball of pale greenish-yellow light appeared, releasing its squat occupant shortly into the arena.

Once again, Roary could not believe the Pokémon Kay had chosen. Chirping musically and inclining its round head to one side was a glossy-feathered Natu. Its black eyes flickered in the direction of Roary's Ponyta, who was stamping its hooves impatiently against the stone floor. 

Next to Ponyta, Natu looked remarkably like a feathered beach ball.

"Take it out with a Fire Blast!" Roary yelled to her Pokémon. 

"Teleport," Kay countered calmly. Without so much as a blink, Natu disappeared from its original position, evading Ponyta's powerful attack. It reappeared in the air above Ponyta's head moments later, slamming the Pokémon into a pillar with a swift Psychic. Roary's Ponyta fainted before it hit the ground.

"You rely too much on the conventionally powerful," Kay said, shaking his head as Natu flapped up onto his extended arm. "I expected far more of you, Roary Ketchum. Well, let's see how you manage my last Pokémon." 

As both his Eevee and Natu looked on, a glimmering blue PokéBall took shape in Kay's palm. Before Roary's eyes, the color in the ball began to shift and waver, like ripples on the surface of a turbulent lake. 

"Picassy!" she cried to her Pichu, ponytail whipping against the side of her neck. "Picassy, you're my last chance! We've trained and trained, and I know you can do this!"

"Pi!" the Pichu called back, bounding forward without hesitation. Mouth unhinging as far as it would go, the Pichu screamed out a rapid succession of Fulgent Rodentia at Kay and his Pokémon.

The boy merely let out another laugh, a sound Roary had already become thoroughly sick of. Beside him, the golden-eyed Eevee and round little Natu looked placidly on. On Kay's shoulder, though, Celebi giggled, wings fluttering. 

"We shall see about that," Kay informed the enraged Picassy, dark eyes glittering. 

Sweat rolled down Roary's body in sticky waves, blinding her eyes and matting her hair to the back of her neck. Breath coming in sharp, gasping pants, Roary and Picassy waited impatiently for Kay to send out his last Pokémon. 

In the dazzling flash of light that followed, Roary was forced to put up her hands. Squinting through her fingers, she just glimpsed the outline of something colossal, something so truly wondrous and strange all at once that she fell to her knees in awe. 

When she looked again, Picassy's unconscious body skid before her feet. 

The match was over.

All Roary could see for a moment was Kay's triumphant face, his snapping fingers, and the glittering Goldenglow Emblem rising magically out of her pocket. The Emblem made a beeline for the victorious boy, falling into Kay's outstretched palm. 

And standing behind the boy, framed against the massive pillars of the Coliseum arena, was a Pokémon Roary had never seen before, a Pokémon of such utter majesty and immense power that she was unable to move, even to help Picassy.

"You have no idea how long it's taken to get my hands on one of these," Kay said, holding the Goldenglow Emblem so that it caught the light. "Oh well, one down and five to go. Excellent match, by the way, Roary. You're quite the Pokémon trainer."

All of time seemed to slow for Roary as the boy and his Pokémon began to walk away, leaving both her and Picassy trembling on the stone floor of the empty Coliseum. Forcing words out of her throat, and her arms into the air, Roary shouted after Kay's retreating figure. "Waaaiiiitt!" she cried, so agonizingly slowly. "_Waaaaiiiitttt…_"

And in a snap of blinding light, Roary felt rough grass under her palms, where there had been only stone before. Picassy was up and looking about inquisitively, chattering in fright and bounding behind Roary's head as soon as it saw where they were. 

Stumbling to her feet, Roary gave a yelp of surprise and flung her arms up. She was being faced by a long line of Pokémon, all of which had their eyes, teeth, and claws pointed straight in her direction! 

* * *

_ Behind the Viridian City Gym..._

The Ariados had been busy eating a moment before, but its many bandaged legs became a blur as it struggled violently against the girl who restrained it. Sweat matting down her short brown hair, Dian Oak bent forward and rested a calming hand on the Ariados's horned head. 

"Easy," she said soothingly, ignoring the scattered food pellets and overturned water bowl. The powerful Bug Pokémon gave a shudder, its long banded legs flailing, before scuttling behind Dian and tensing warily. 

"Wuh-oop oop! Wooper!" crowed one of Dian's other wild Pokémon wards, a Wooper with its tail in a splint.

Glancing over at the Wooper, Dian rose from her crouch and stretched her cramped legs. Training her eyes on the closed back door of the Viridian Gym, the girl waited, body stiffening in the same way as the Ariados's. She was greeted seconds later by a panting Jolteon, who raced past the boy flinging open the door and limped to Dian's side.

"They're gonna blow it up! They're gonna blow it up!" the boy screamed, waving his PokéGear radio in the air. "The report just came in! Ketchum is kicking some serious Rocket…" 

"Robbie, you're scaring the Ariados," Dian said, indicating the now quivering Pokémon behind her. "Please don't yell; they startle easily, and I just bandaged its legs a few days ago."

Robbie snorted dismissively at this. "A bug, big deal!" he retorted. "Seriously, cuz, for someone who didn't even become a trainer, you're sure obsessed with taking care of these wild Pokémon!"

"And for someone who's not even a trainer yet," Dian teased gently, "you've sure got a lot of airs."

"Wuh'oooooop!" the Wooper chortled, hopping forward and making a funny face at the two of them.

"Next month!" Robbie called over his shoulder, before rushing back inside. "Next month, I'll be ten! Then I'll show you! Hey, Uncle Gary! Did you hear, did you hear? Ketchum broke into the Rocket HQ, right by the Lake of Rage in Mahogany, and the Rockets were no match whatsoever! Ketchum's assembled this group of Pokémon, and they're gonna blow up the entire place! Oh, I wish I could've gone, too!"

Dian waited until Robbie had slammed the door shut before falling back against the ground. The grass, and dirt beneath it, felt cool under her hands. Picking up the Ariados's spilled food pellets one by one, she slipped them back into the bowl and headed on inside. Her limping Jolteon followed, still wheezing to catch its breath.

The Viridian Gym was empty, of course. Only Robbie hadn't seen through Gary Oak's pretense of wanting to keep the Gym running for challengers. 

There were no challengers, and there would be no challengers while Ash Ketchum's attack on the Rocket HQ was still in full-swing. All the trainers were either participating in the attack themselves, or, like Robbie, intently watching its progress. 

All the trainers, except Dian's father, the Viridian City Gym Leader. Gary Oak had insisted on staying behind and running his Gym while all the other trainers and Gym Leaders went off to fight with Ash Ketchum. 

_At least, _Dian thought, _there won't be any matches for a while. _Dian had never liked Pokémon matches, but ever since turning down her Pokémon license three years ago, she couldn't even watch her father battle without feeling self-inflicted guilt shoved down her throat. 

Not that her father had ever screamed at or hit her. That wasn't Gary Oak's style. But all the hopes he had held for Dian's Pokémon training career, and all the tips and pride and praise that had gone along with it, had been shifted to her younger cousin, Robbie. 

Robbie had become the Pokémaster aspirant, the one to carry on the family tradition of Pokémon mastery. Dian, on the other hand, had turned into a mere ghost floating around the Gym, irrelevant and ignored.

Gary Oak didn't forget. And, as with Ash Ketchum, it took him a long time to forgive.

Tossing the soiled pellets into a garbage receptacle and pouring new ones into the food bowl, Dian felt the nose of her Jolteon bump into her leg. "What is it, Demi?" she asked, bending down. 

The spiked mane about the Jolteon's neck rose into the air. "J'olt j'olt! Eee-on!" Demi yipped, thrusting its nose in an upward direction. 

Straightening and dashing to the back of the Gym, Dian caught a brief glimpse of a child's small face peeking through the window. Demi at her heels, she threw open the door and raced to the back of the building.

There was no one there. But swerving about, Dian let out a cry of surprise. 

"Wuh-oop?" Dian's little Wooper patient said, cocking its head curiously. It hopped forward, tail waving behind it.

Laughing, Dian knelt and examined the Wooper's tail. "This healed pretty nicely," she smiled, undoing the splint's bindings. "Tomorrow, Demi and I'll take you back to the pond in the Viridian Park."

"That's thoughtful of you, but it really won't be necessary."

Turning back, Dian bolted up with a start. A boy was standing by the window, one elbow propped up against the side of the building. He wore faded, old-looking clothes, along with a crooked smile.

"Woop woop!" the Wooper cried merrily, bounding forward to the boy's side.

Scooping the Wooper into his arms, the boy dug into the pocket of his old jacket and flipped a small, golden object into the air. It hit the ground, glinting in the grass inches away from Dian's feet.

"Thanks for taking care of my Pokémon," the boy grinned, dark eyes glittering as brightly as the golden object he had thrown. "I hope this little Wooper didn't give you too much trouble."

"Your Pokémon? But, I thought that Wooper was wild!"

The boy shrugged, still smiling. "Then that's all the better. By the way…" His eyes roved about, settling on the glitter of gold by Dian's sneaker toes. "Go on, pick it up already. It won't burn your hand off, or anything like that."

Confused as she was, Dian reached forward and obeyed.

"Tell me, have you ever seen something like that before, around this Gym?" the boy queried. "Anything, absolutely anything, that resembles it in the slightest?"

"I…I don't think I can help you there," Dian said, examining the strange spiral engraving on the object's surface. "It looks…kind of like a badge, to me. Maybe you should ask my father, the Gym Leader. He knows more about the different League badges that are given out than I do."

The boy repeated these words to himself, underneath his breath. "Of course," he said at last, snapping his fingers. 

Dian gasped as the golden badge flew out of her fingers and shot back into the boy's waiting hand. "Well, it's been a pleasure," the boy said, shifting the Wooper onto his shoulder. "Maybe I'll see you again, Dian Oak. But for now, I've got to disappear."

Demi yelped, and Dian blinked. One moment, the boy and the Wooper had been standing right in front of her. The next, they were gone, without so much as a _poof! _of air.

Shaking her head, Dian looked down at the food bowl in her hands and headed back around the Gym. The Ariados was getting hungry, and hungry Pokémon were even harder to handle than spooked ones.

* * *

Notes:

Thanks for commenting chapter by chapter, too, Sapphire Prince. Personally, I _do_ like to know what you think of each part, and that's the kind of thing I really appreciate.

For that matter, thanks to everybody who made it this far. I was hoping to finish this by the end of the summer, so, heh, I guess I'll save the plot twists for Part 2. The next chapter will most likely be the epilogue for "Star in the Storm."

Dian is the protagonist of "The Garden," one of my other Pokémon stories. 


	22. Epilogue: After the Storm

Star in the Storm, Epilogue

Lody- "After the Storm"

* * *

"Hurry, Lody!" Amulet yelped, bounding ahead through a narrow passageway and skidding across the slick tile floor. Several yards ahead, Shane and Gauntal's footsteps pounded across the ground, echoing eerily in the empty hall.

"I…I'm trying!" I gasped out as I ran, clutching at my side with one hand and staggering after them. "Amulet? Is it just me, or is it getting kind of hot in here?"

"The building's on fire!" Shane called, skidding to a stop and dropping onto his stomach. Amulet and I followed his example with haste. Chancing a look upward, I saw long flames licking the walls of the distant corridor, increasing in both span and intensity as precious seconds flew by.

"Isn't there another way out of here?" I choked out, muffling my mouth with the edge of my bandanna. "Shane?"

The boy shook his pale, pale face. "If we go back to the terminal, Darkshine will have you seized for sure," he informed us quietly. "And I promised I'd get you out of here."

"I was under the impression you promised your brother to make sure I _didn't _ escape!" I argued suspiciously, voice distorted by the fabric of my bandanna.

Shane's jaw was tight, and his fists clenched tightly around Gauntal's worn leash. "For the glory of Neo Team Rocket. And in Father's memory," he whispered, face contorting at the stench of smoke that was drifting our way. "Darkshine was wrong, Lody. So was I. The people of Neo Team Rocket are not evil. Even we have things we must do, and it is time the world knew that." 

Coughing into his hand, Shane went doggedly on, voice growing hoarse. "Father wouldn't have wanted you to suffer for this, I _know_ he wouldn't have. Though Ash Ketchum and the others never realized it, he was a good man, a believer in justice. I intend to follow him the best I can."

Gauntal yipped, dragging its trainer back from the approaching fire. 

"Gauntal's right," Shane gasped out, scrambling backwards and moving away down the hall. "There's only one way out now. We have to find your friends, Lody, the ones leading the attack on the Rocket HQ. You'll be safe with them."

_What about you and Gauntal? _I wanted to scream. My so-called friends would show no mercy for Rockets, however selfless these Rockets turned out to be, and no matter what kind of stand they were trying to make. Come to that, wasn't I still technically a member of Neo Team Rocket myself? Roary's horrified look of disgust upon this revelation still remained vivid in my mind.

Dad and Mother, what would they say? And Mr. Ketchum, who had spent his entire childhood fighting against Team Rocket, surely his reaction would be no less appalled than that of his daughter's. The same went for all the people of Pallet. All the people of the world. 

_One choice, _I thought ruefully. _One choice, and it's all gone. I'll never be a Pokémon master, not now. I was so ambitious at the start of my Pokémon journey, so convinced that I had to do something great. Stupid, stupid, stupid!. I should have been happy with what I had back then. _

_There's nothing left for me anymore. Nothing._

Feeling Amulet's shoulder come up under my hand, I realized we had stopped running at last. Gauntal was straining at its leash, pawing at a door in front of it. Jogging the metal knob, Shane yanked his hand back with a cry of alarm. The fabric of his black glove was sizzling, filling the air with the acrid stench of burning cloth. 

"The door's locked!" he yelled back, wrenching off his steaming glove and throwing it to the ground. 

"Move back!" Amulet yelped to us, bolting forward and gazing intently at the door before her. Eyes growing brighter and brighter as psychic energy gathered behind them, my Espeon crouched down low, letting a brilliant purple aura flare up around her slender body.

"What's she doing?" Shane whispered hurriedly to his Umbreon.

_ "Stand back!" _Gauntal barked in rapid-fire Eonic. _"Amulet's about to use a Psychic attack!"_

Falling onto my stomach, I threw my arms up over my head, just as the entire wall blew apart into flying splinters of wood and plaster. Amulet had launched an enormous ball of psychic energy directly at the door. Luckily, this door was much weaker than that of the prison cell. It was knocked right from its hinges, along with an entire portion of the wall. 

"Come on!" Amulet cried, turning back and bounding to my side. 

Tongues of flame were cropping up from the piles of debris created by Amulet's explosion. Through the thick smoke, I could just make out bright sunlight ahead. And over the crackle of the fire, I could hear the astonished murmur of many voices.

"We're out!" I called back to Shane and Gauntal, squeezing Amulet's paw. It was only when Amulet's eyes grew wide, and she thrust her head backwards against my arm, that I turned around to follow her gaze.

With a considerable start, I realized Shane and Gauntal were not behind us. Both trainer and Pokémon were walking slowly in the opposite direction, back into the hallway from which we had come. Back into the fire from which we had just narrowly escaped.

"Gauntal, Shane? Shane!"

Shane stopped and half-turned, but it was only for the smallest instant. He and Gauntal started up almost immediately afterwards, nearly disappearing into the thick smoke. 

"Shane?" I whispered.

The boy stopped again, then pivoted about to face me. Mouth pressed into a thin line and body framed against the swirling smoke, his hollow face told me all I needed to know.

I had envied Shane, not long ago, for the perfect life he didn't have. All this time, it might have been _me_ he should have been jealous of. Me, with all of my complaints and arrogance, ambitions and antipathy. Me, who, no thanks to my own stupidity, was now returning to the loved ones I had so willingly left. 

Shane and Gauntal were the ones who really had nothing left. Only they would rather walk into the fire than into the sunlight. 

I cleared my throat and said awkwardly, "Shane, I'm sorry. Heck, I thought I had it hard, but it was nothing compared to…compared to." Stumbling on, I shook my head in frustrated speechlessness and clenched my hands. 

_I've been stuck in my own world so long, blind to what was going on outside, _I thought angrily. _I've had just about enough of thinking about myself. Now, Lody Chimera, now you're going to think about somebody else for a change._

"Shane," I said fiercely. "If you come out there with me, I swear no harm will come to you and Gauntal. No harm that Amulet and I can't prevent. There's nothing left for you back there, Shane. Please…please come with us!"

Amulet's eyes shone as she nodded. Were those tears? I wondered briefly.

Shane said nothing, and bowed his head. He knew, as well as I, that there was nothing left of Team Rocket or the TRC here. Nothing, save for leaping flames and burning debris. With a brief nod, he pivoted on his foot and started forward, this time coming up beside me.

With me clutching Amulet's warm shoulder, we walked side by side into the sun. 

* * *

One week later...

"…and then I got up and yelled 'Stop!' to all those Pokémon who were standing there and getting ready to fire at the Rocket building one last time, and you know what? They all stopped!" 

As she narrated her last-minute role in the invasion of the Mahogany Rocket HQ, Roary Ketchum was getting so enthusiastic that she sprayed flecks of milkshake over the table. "And it was a good thing they listened," Roary added after a quick sip, "or Lody and Shane would've been crushed to death inside!"

At his seat next to Roary's, Shane managed a weak smile at this gruesome mental image. Bending under the table to hand a voracious Gauntal another donut, he barely missed hitting Roary's long black ponytail as it whipped through air. 

_ Just another uneventful noontime meal at the Pallet Town Lab, _I thought idly, chewing on my straw and staring out the window. Life hadn't seemed so calm in days, not with all that had happened following the Mahogany invasion. 

The familiar faces around the table were what comforted me most of all. Looking around, I could see Picassy and Bryar fighting over the last powdered donut hole, Charm watching both of them amusedly, as well as little Chin-Woop gobbling up as many apples as it could fit into its mouth at once, making itself look like a blue beach ball in the process. 

At my side, Amulet was dozing in the afternoon sunlight streaming through the kitchen window. Stroking her long ears, I took another sip of my milkshake before turning my wandering mind back to the conservation at hand.

"You _still_ have no idea whatsoever of how you got to the frontline of the attack from Silver Star's room?" Pika probed, setting down its ketchup-dipped apple and giving Roary a quizzical look.

"I told you already, it was that creepy boy!" Roary protested, slamming her milkshake into the table so hard that her straw popped out and hit Bryar in the forehead. "He had this weird Pokémon with him, one that could freeze time. He called it Celery or something like that."

"Celebi," my father corrected. Putting his chin into his palm in musing, he shook his head in disbelief. "But Celebi is only supposed to be a myth," my father said slowly, adjusting the thick glasses that were sliding down his nose. "Some people still believe Celebi is the guardian of Ilex Forest, or a protector of time itself. But no one has ever seen this Pokémon before, much less trained it to obey their command. As this 'creepy' boy must have done."

"Untrue," Pika interjected as it squeezed a second blob of ketchup onto its plate. "I've seen Celebi before. So has Ash."

"Sure you have," Roary teased, stuffing her mouth full with jelly donut. "And I'm Lance of the Masters' Circle."

But Pika's eyes were serious. "There are things your father's never told you, Roary," the Pikachu said solemnly. "Things he thought you'd be better off not knowing. Like about disbanding Team Rocket, or stopping Mewtwo. Ash Ketchum was no ordinary trainer, you'll see."

"Well," Roary said. "I guess I can believe that. After all, he _is_ my dad." 

Around the table, everybody snorted into their milkshakes.

"Professor," Shane asked suddenly, raising his head from Gauntal. "How many more people do you think Ash Ketchum will get to join his hunt for Neo Team Rocket? Do you think the others…the Rockets…still stand a chance?"

My father's brow furrowed at this. As destructive as the Mahogany invasion had been, only a handful of Rockets had been taken prisoner before Leader Darkshine had ordered a hasty retreat. Though neither hide nor hair of the remaining Neo Team Rocket members had been found, several captives had admitted the existence of more Rocket bases and control centers scattered across the globe. 

Ash, it seemed, would have a long way to go if he ever hoped to eradicate Team Rocket completely.

However, the relative success of the Mahogany invasion had lent a new surge of followers to Ash Ketchum's cause. There would be no more failure for Ash, not if he could help it. Backed by thousands of trainers, scientists, and more, Ash Ketchum and Co. were actively surveying the world for more Rocket bases. The anti-Rocket movement was far from dying. 

And, ironically enough, the renewed thirst for Team Rocket's annihilation had led to an enormous boom in Pokémon training. The regions of Kanto and Johto were experiencing the biggest surge in new Pokémon trainers recorded in the last ten years. 

Miraculously, there had been no trial for Shane and me, nor was one in the planning. As children, we had been let off relatively easily, save for the stripping of our Rocket membership and a permanent stain on our reputations. Even now, I could sense the funny looks most Pallet townspeople gave me, or the whispered rumors that circulated behind my back. 

But as far as I was concerned, the worst was over. The storm had come and passed.

"There's always a chance," Fireball's low voice responded from the other end of the table, the first the Charmander had spoken all day. No one had the nerve to comment on this. Armbands soaked with grime and eyes smoldering in a heated scowl, Fireball looked even surlier that usual. 

The search around the Lake of Rage for Fireball's missing friend, Drake Flamefoe, had so far proved in vain. There were doubts Drake would ever be found, much less alive. But surely Fireball was hoping, just as Shane was hoping for the TRC to survive the ordeals they would be sure to face. 

But luck had already run out for one TRC member. Hours after being "rescued" from the Mahogany Rocket HQ, the Merger Silver Star died in Mahogany Town Hospital. It had been a seizure that killed her, the doctors concluded, along with a strenuous amount of stress. 

Though the secret of the Mergers was being kept secluded within a small, confidential circle, studies were already being done on Silver Star's death. Many were eager to discover whether a genetic defect had done Silver Star in, possibly as the cause of her mysterious seizures. And, eventually, whether the Merging theory could actually prove to be Team Rocket's most powerful weapon yet.

My father still had Shane's files on Project Star in the Storm and had spent a great deal of the last few days examining them thoroughly. He, too, was curious about finding the holes in Team Rocket's Merging process. 

"And you were worried about _us _using Silver Star as a tool," Shane once complained bitterly. "Sometimes, I get the impression all of you think that she's better off dead and frozen in some laboratory."

"Shane," my father had replied steadily, "Silver Star gave her life to save her friends. There is no regret in her death, not if she sacrificed herself to help others."

Remembering these words, I often think again of Silver Star's two-faceted eyes, dark as the blackest night, and yet bright with vibrant life. But now, behind my image of Silver Star, I can see another. 

Sometimes, I can see Kayley Mindstar looking out from behind Silver Star's dark, dark eyes. And I know the storm will rise again.

When it does, I'll be ready, for the Pokémon journey I started so ambitiously is far from being over. 

Of all reasons to start and sustain a journey, I have finally found my own.

  
**"A Real Master"**- Drake's Full Version

When the sun

Breaks past the clouds in the morning sky,

I will lift my head,

And let my spirits fly.

Like a Pokémon Master!

As the days

Fade away like the early dew,

I will set my jaw,

And make my dreams come true.

Like a Pokémon Master! 

No one can tell me I'm much too green,

Much too young,

Or trapped in a dream.

Nobody will say

I can't do it my way.

And rise to meet the day! 

Grow and learn, you live and earn

A sense of who you can be.

And the dreams that raise you high,

Hold on and don't let 'em die.

Can you be

The one? 

Through my life,

I'll take a chance and brave the fight,

Clear my jumps,

And soar to any height.

Like a true Master!

When night comes,

I'll set down my pack and store my dreams away,

Save my strength,

To use for another day.

Be a new Master! 

Bold and true

Win my way through.

A real

Master.

* * *

Roary's mom? Uh, good question. Speculate on that all you want, because I'm not doing anything definite for now. Probably not a canon character though; people get mad when you kill those off. Same for Shane and his brother. You'd think that their father is Giovanni, but who knows?

Well, that's it for "Star in the Storm." Hopefully Part 2 can tie up some more of the loose ends about Kayley Mindstar and the Mergers. I haven't thought too much about the next part, so comments, suggestions, and the like are welcomed. 


End file.
